Turkish-American relations are based on Turkish-Israeli relations, journalist says

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish-American relations are based on Turkish-Israeli relations. If you get in trouble with Israel, then they might conclude you are in trouble with the U.S., liberal Turkish journalist, political commentator and writer Mehmet Ali Birand said in his article published in Hurriyet.

“The Israeli lobby seems to be an extension of Israel and the country. It controls Washington’s relations with Turkey and dominates politics. They dominate in almost every area. A country on bad terms with Israel always encounters the Israeli lobby.

Turkey follows politics that it deems right but these politics are viewed differently on the Washington-Tel Aviv axis. And the Israeli lobby has a big influence on things getting this far. It is enough for the Israeli lobby to label Turkey as an “unwanted country” due to Ankara getting close with a country that tries to extinguish Israel,” the journalist notes.

“Turkey is able to get across some politics to the White House, State Department or Pentagon even if there is a difference in opinion. And to some extent it receives sympathy, but with Congress it is different. All representatives of the House and Senate (535 people in total) worry about domestic politics. They don’t care about Turkey’s strategic or regional importance. What’s important is making voters happy and say what the media wants to hear. For the majority of Congress members everything is either black or white. Either you are friends or enemies with the United States and Israel.

An increase in the influence of the Republicans in American political reality brings bad news for Ankara. Conservatives who used to support Turkey in the past now despise the country. And their target is Davutoglu. They believe he changed the course of Turkey and injected the Islamic ideology in foreign affairs.

The greatest milestone for the U.S. was the Sept. 11 Al-Qaeda attacks. After this attack America perceived Islam as a dangerous religion. They started perceiving Muslim countries differently. Formerly Turkey could not be placed among them. This time, I noticed that Turkey has been put in the same picture with Iran,” the journalist says.

“I feel that in case no precautions are taken, then Ankara and Washington’s roads will split in such a way that they will not be merged easily again. And that has me scared,” Birand concludes.