Mideast Media Sampler 08/18/2011

From DG:

1) Not sorry, Turkey

Isabel Kershner reports Israel Says It Won’t Apologize to Turkey for Deadly Flotilla Raid 

Turkey has demanded an official apology, compensation to victims’ relatives and a lifting of the blockade on Gaza as conditions for normalizing its heavily strained relations with Israel, formerly an important ally. 
...
A diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the subject, said the American request for such an apology was reiterated on Tuesday in a phone call between Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  

The Israeli official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Turks kept adding conditions for a reconciliation, raising uncertainty in Mr. Netanyahu’s government over whether they were sincere and whether they would consider the case closed even if a deal were reached. 

Kershner reports that Turkey had also demanded the shelving of the UN report written by a committed headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer. She quotes an Israeli official as saying this demand raised a red flag with the Israeli government as to whether Turkey was sincere about wanting to end the friction between the two countries.

Later on Kershner reports on the possible reason why Turkey didn't want the Palmer report released: 

While Turkey is said to object to the draft conclusions of the United Nations report, Israeli officials who have seen the draft consider much of it favorable to Israel. 

They say that the report has concluded that Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and its enforcement, even in international waters, is legitimate and that the report is severely critical of the organizers of the 2010 flotilla. At the same time, the Israelis say, the report criticizes Israel for having used excessive force during the raid. 

 Israel Matzav speculates:

Am I the only one who suspects that there are things we have not been told about this report and that when it comes out it is going to be more pro-Israel than previously advertised? Could that be why everyone else is so anxious to bury it? 

I wish that Kershner had added that it seemed that the Palmer report supported much of the Turkel report. When the Turkel report was released in January, Kershner wrote of that report's conclusions and then added:  

The raid stirred international outrage and condemnation of Israel and its blockade of the Gaza Strip, and Israeli officials were hoping that the investigation would win the country at least some foreign support. But critics argued that the findings were a foregone conclusion. 

“This committee was suspect from the beginning,” said Moshe Negbi, the legal commentator for Israel Radio, “because it was appointed by the government, because this was not a state commission of inquiry.” 

Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, dismissed the report, saying Sunday that it had “no value or credibility.” 

By immediately citing "critics," Kershner cast aspersions on the Israeli investigation. Surely an investigation by the UN that is largely exculpatory of Israel is no foregone conclusion and that is a point worth emphasizing, especially if the UN report largely confirmed the conclusions of the Israeli investigation. And while Kershner noted at the end of the January article that video confirmed the Israeli account (that its soldiers were attacked), today she presents the Israeli version as "[b]y Israel’s account." This qualification is unnecessary and misleading.

Nice tweet from incoming editor of Ha'aretz, Aluf Benn.


2) What's up with the UN?


Navi Pillay the head of the UN Human Rights Council wants to refer the case of Syria to the International Criminal Court. 

U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay will address the 15-nation council in a closed-door session on Syria on Thursday, along with U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos.

"OHCHR (Pillay's office) have indicated that their Syria report will find evidence that Syria has committed grave violations of international human rights law in its actions dealing with protesters over the past five months," a diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Pillay will also say that a "thorough appropriate international investigation is needed," the envoy said about the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, or OHCHR, adding she was "likely to suggest that the ICC would be appropriate." The ICC is a permanent war-crimes court based in The Hague.

Wow. One UN organization apparently finds that Israel acted within the bounds of international law and another accuses a different country of war crimes. What are they drinking in Turtle Bay these days?


3) 4 indicted

This is not really news. And I'm not done with the UN yet. The UN investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese PM Rafiq Haririr has officially indicted the suspects. These names have known for awhile now, so this is a formality. The main evidence against the men seems to be cell phone records. This might be why Hezbollah accused Israel of infiltrating Lebanon's cell phone network. They likely intended to create a doubt in the minds of Lebanese and deflect blame from themselves.

The indictment doesn't say where the men received their orders. Syria and Iran are likely culprits. In fact it is being reported that Syria has been intimidating opponents of the regime abroad and, shockingly, even in America.


4) Followups

Yesterday we noted a news story about the administration's response to Syria.

Barry Rubin has written more about the administration's mindset. 

Then there’s the implicit assumption that what the United States does isn’t important. Oh no, explains the secretary of state, Turkey and Jordan are what’s important. 

Note the relevance of this behavior to Libya. When the Arab League called for the downfall of dictator Muammar Qadhafi that was enough for the United States to commit itself to the enterprise. No, I haven’t forgotten the European pressure for such a move, but Obama emphasized the need for Arab approval as primary. 

Yet when Saudi Arabia, Jordan,, and others wanted to keep Egypt’s dictator-president Husni Mubarak, or at least the regime, in power that didn’t matter to the Obama White House. Ladies and gentlemen, those U.S. allies were not even consulted on the issue. Bahrain, same story. 

All of these countries are not constantly begging the United States in private to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict but to solve the problem of Iranian aggression. People depend on American leadership and protection. They aren’t getting it today.

The Washington Post has a strong editorial urging stronger American words. 

We agree that rhetoric unmoored from reality can be dangerous. It can leave the United States looking impotent; it can allow allies to duck their responsibilities; in worst cases, it can encourage people to take risks expecting assistance that is not forthcoming. Ms. Clinton’s behind-the-scenes efforts to rally an alliance for change in Syria could multiply the effects of actions, such as sanctions, the United States eventually takes.

But her formulation Tuesday understated the importance of U.S. leadership. It does not seem to be true, sadly, that the Assad regime will heed Turkey and Saudi Arabia. And it certainly would be news — foremost to people inside Syria — if the United States stated that Mr. Assad should go.

 James Taranto adds:

If Mrs. Clinton thinks it's important for the Turks and the Saudis to call for Assad's ouster, she should be privately putting pressure on them to do so. That's called diplomacy. Perhaps it's true that a public U.S. statement would accomplish little, but better to say nothing at all than to make a mealymouthed statement that we wish others say something.

 Whether or not America has been encouraging allies, Saudi Arabia is apparently looking to challenge Iran. Bruce Riedel writes: 

Riyadh worries that Assad will be replaced by chaos, but it has now come to the conclusion the risk is worth the price. If the Assad regime is destroyed, so too will Syrian support for Hezbollah be destroyed. If a new regime emerges that reflects the will of Syria’s majority-Sunni population, it can become a base for destabilizing the Hezbollah-dominated government in Beirut. The power balance in the Levant could be tilted decisively against Hezbollah and undercut Iranian regional influence.

Abdallah spoke with President Barack Obama at the end of last week,and both called for an end to the Syrian regime’s repression of its people. Undoubtedly the Saudis have also urged Washington to see the strategic opportunity in Syria. Washington and Riyadh will certainly continue to disagree on the merits of democracy in the Arab world, but they can cooperate on fighting Hezbollah. For the Saudis the time has come to settle scores with an old adversary.

Also in that story was the observation that Hamas was quiet about Syrian attacks against Palestinians. Hamas is trying to maintain silence by arresting Palestinians who are protesting Syria. Fatah may be protesting Syria, but it is encouraging Lebanon to dispossess the Palestinians living there. He may not want his potential citizens dead; just impoverished.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Middle East.