Erdogan, Palestine and the failed coup

failed Turkey coup

The failed coup attempt on President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan’s government in Turkey did not come as a surprise to many, especially to keen observers of events in the last one and a half years, more particularly, since the ousting of Mohammed Morsi, the first democratically-elected president in Egypt.

This should surprise no one. The two presidents share the same vision. They are both Muslims, ideological ones. Their thoughts are similar on the role of Islam in the state affairs and using the divinely revealed religion to midwife the welfare of citizens.

Importantly, the two staunchly believe in the struggle of the Palestinian people to reclaim their land and rights from the Israeli occupation forces of the brutal Zionist regime.

President Erdogan

Treading the ‘dangerous’ path! 

Both presidents were not only verbally committed but also practically inclined to the realisation of freedom for the people of Palestine. In his inaugural speech as President, Morsi had declared that: “I announce from here that Egypt, its people and presidential institution stand with the Palestinian people until they regain all their legitimate rights.”

He demonstrated this solidarity during the brutal offensive of Israel on the Gaza Strip in 2012. President Morsi declared that Egypt will never leave Gaza on its own. He denounced Israel’s bellicosity labelling it as, “a blatant aggression against humanity”.

While urging the halt of the atrocious onslaught against the armless civilians in Palestine, Morsi unequivocally reiterated: “The Israelis should know that Egypt today is completely different from Egypt yesterday.”

Morsi did not stop at that. He immediately summoned Egypt’s ambassador from Israel, called for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council and instructed an immediate convening of the Arab League summit.

President Morsi

He consequently opened the Rafah crossing to receive and treat Gazan casualties on the Egyptian side of the border. In an unprecedented move, the Egyptian leader dispatched his prime minister, Hisham Qandil, to visit Gaza Strip during the war. Eventually, his diplomatic measures succeeded in calming the tensions and ultimately brokered a ceasefire in less than seven days.

Before it was truncated, Morsi’s government, according to its advisor for development, Ahmed Ocean, had plans to bolster bilateral trade exchange with Palestine by launching a series of projects in the fields of agriculture and olive industries. This would have ensured a boost to the Gaza economy and by extension the Palestinian nation.

While Morsi was moving at the speed of light to ensure comfortable existence for the suppressed people of Palestine, President Erdogan was also aggressively supporting the Israeli-terrorised state through Turkish sponsored aid organisations.

According to the Amnesty International, over one thousand Palestinians were killed during Israel’s three-week offensive in Gaza which began in late December 2008 and ended in mid-January 2009.

Gaza

Erdogan actually took former Israeli President, Shimon Peres to the cleaners during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland after the latter took to the stage and defended the Gaza offensive. One of the most memorable quotes from Erdogan was when he said to Peres: “Well, you killed people! I remember the children who died on the beaches!”

Erdogan and Peres in Davos

The Turkish President, most times, appear as a lone voice in his support for the people of Palestine after Mohammed Morsi was ousted in 2013 by the military, backed by Israelo-American intelligence and gulf monarchs’ funding.

The ousting of Morsi could be attributed to his venturing into an arena considered by world powers as a ‘no go’ area – lending support for the freedom of Palestine from Israeli occupation and aggression! His moves were considered as ‘over ambitious’, just as his actions were seen as rather too daring and ferociously disgusting to Israel’s backers in the US, EU and the Gulf.

To the pro-Zionists, Morsi’s gut was exceptionally irritating. The speed of his reforms was too ‘dangerous’ to be ignored, hence, he had to be dealt with, and of course, brutally!

Gaza

Erdogan as the sole obstacle 

With Morsi off the threat line, Erdogan becomes the next target that must be dealt with by Israel. On May 31, 2010, a flotilla, consisting of three cargo ships and three passenger boats, that was heading to Gaza to distribute humanitarian aid and construction materials was attacked by Israeli terrorist forces on international waters. The Turkish NGO ship, MV Mavi Marmara was the hardest hit.

During the attack, eight Turkish nationals and a Turkish-American were killed while another Turk who was wounded died later in hospital. Turkey immediately recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv after that incident, described by Erdogan as “state terrorism”. An official apology was demanded from Israel, but it arrogantly refused. And by 2011, the Israeli ambassador was expelled from Turkey.

Key watchers of Israeli historical antecedents know that the flotilla moves and the humiliation of Peres in Davos years back, were enough reasons for the Zionist state to orchestrate the sad event of last Friday in Turkey. The handwriting is well written all over the place. The trade mark of Israel is to use other nations, especially the US and its European allies, as well as internal accomplices of a target country, to fight its fight. And to deal with Turkey, the Egypt formula is just apt. 

The Plot

In 2013, the US President, Barak Obama intervened, pressing the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apologise to Erdogan over the MV Mavi Marmara incident which he reportedly did over the telephone. This is in exchange for normalisation of ties with Israel.

Netanyahu and Obama on phone

Aside from the apology, Erdogan also demanded compensation for those killed in the raid and that Israel lifts its blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Consequently, Israel agreed to pay $20 million in compensation to the bereaved and the injured in the 2010 attack. As part of the deal also, Ankara has begun the delivery of humanitarian aid and other non-military products to Gaza, albeit, via the Israeli Port of Ashdod. Israel is also expected to allow the completion of a much-needed hospital in the Strip, as well as the construction of a new power station and a desalination plant for drinking water by Turkey.

It should be understood that no nation has been able to cut Israel to size in the recent times like Turkey under Erdogan. And no president has challenged and lambasted its leaders for its atrocities in Palestine more than Erdogan!

For this affront and effrontery, something must be done fast to deal with the Turkish leader and ultimately clip its wings, the Morsi way. To achieve this, series of deadly bombings were orchestrated in the capital, Ankara and another key city, Istanbul. Opposition were fuelled to organise protests against many government policies, the deadly protests at the Gezin Park provides a vivid example.

The international media was and is still busy painting a gloomy picture of the Turkish economy and equally portraying scenarios of insecurity in the country. The Western media refused to acknowledge and publicise the fact that Turkey has moved from 111th position to 16th position among world economic powers.

They also wickedly turned a blind eye to the fact that the country has settled all its debts, just as they exhibited callous indifference to increase in exports from $23 billion to $153 billion in the last seat of the Islamic Caliphate. The news of Turkey’s plan to have 300,000 full-time research scientists within 10 years is not deemed worthy of major headlines.

The first class rating of Turkish Airline by European standard was deliberately ignored, considered not worthy of any meaningful commendation. As far as the media and Erdogan’s detractors are concerned, these massive achievements of no small measure, are negative economic indicators!

His government is also accused of stifling press freedom.

And the plot failed 

Ironically, all these destabilising measures, which worked in Egypt rather warmed Erdogan into the embrace of Turkish citizens and endeared the enigmatic leader to the people’s heart, instead of weakening his popularity, the stability of his government and acceptability of its policies.

Failure to get Erdogan removed through all these shenanigans and Machiavellian machinations necessarily left Israel with the last option, – to go brutal and get him removed from power.

But to their utmost chagrin, the Turks, who, according to Erdogan, have the sole right to call his government to account through the ballot boxes, stood firmly in support of their president by taking on the traitors. Consequently, the coup failed and the perpetrators are today being rounded up across the country.

Israel, the prime suspect!

As the dust began to settle, it emerged that one of the ring leaders of the coup was General Akin Öztürk, who in the 1990s was the Turkish military attaché to Israel. General Öztürk served in Turkey’s Tel Aviv embassy from 1998 to 2000 and later became the commander of Turkey’s air force. He stepped down from that position last year but continued to serve on the country’s Supreme Military Council.

Genera; Ozturk under arrest

This revelation lend credence to observers’ assumption that Israel could be a Freudian suspect in the botched attempt to topple Erdogan, who has been able to, willy nilly, secure unprecedented concessions from Israel, for the hapless people of Palestine.

Though Turkish government has unequivocally and pointedly accused the US-based cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who has been its staunch critic for some time now, key watchers of the development in Turkey are of the view that the government should beam its searchlight in the direction of Israel.

Gulen

This view is premised on the perception that countries that had, in any form attempted to, show solidarity for, or identify with Palestine and its defenseless men, as well as the vulnerable women and children, have had themselves to blame!

Erdogan has not openly expressed support for the Palestinian cause, he has forced Israel to agree to its own terms for normalisation of relations.

This, again, is too much an affront!

Mr President, Watch Your Back, Egypt-Morsi Scenario in the Making!

President Buhari jetting out of the country recenlty

 

This is surely not the best of time for Nigerians who had expected a positive change to the quality of their lives after almost a year they voted out the ‘squandermanian’ government of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The long queues at fuel stations, which were a major hallmark of the PDP government, especially that of the ‘shoeless’ President Goodluck Jonathan, have resurfaced and may not ease off anytime soon.

Similarly, the power blackout currently being experienced across the country is quite worrisome, particularly coming just after the celebration of the attainment of 5,700 megawatts power generation, the feat, unprecedented in the history of Nigeria. Also more worrisome are the attendant affects of lack of fuel, leading to the prices of goods and services hitting the roofs with Nigerians, particularly, the masses feeling the pangs more.

Fuel queue in Abuja

 

And as if these are not enough, some labour unions are already threatening to down tools if the Buhari government fails to act fast to ameliorate the sufferings of the people. The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has actually issued a 21-day ultimatum to government to address the non-payment of its members’ salaries in states like Osun, Oyo, Imo and Kogi, just as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is also contemplating a one-day warning strike over the refusal of the government to reverse the increase in electricity tariffs.

It beats ones imagination that Nigeria, despite being one of the world's biggest oil producers, still imports most of its fuel and is currently facing a severe shortage. However, efforts by the government to reduce importation and boost local production through the country’s refineries appear to be under serious sabotage. There have been reports of insiders in the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation NNPC conniving with vandals to destroy oil pipelines!

Under the excuse of foreign exchange scarcity, the International Oil Companies (IOCs) since November, 2015 have been reducing importation of fuel into the country thereby aiding to the current acute shortage of the product. The NNPC’s import quota of about 50% expectedly could not meet the daily needs of the populace.

Another angle to the current situation, as observed by analysts, is the government’s tactical withdrawal of subsidy payment. In January, the government ended official fuel subsides with the argument that the cost of oil had fallen so much that the subsidies were no longer required.

There have also been reports of coordinated moves by unscrupulous elements in the region where the nation’s oil and gas facilities are domiciled to frustrate gas transmission to power plants, hence the current acute electricity shortage across the country. Recently, power generation fell to zero megawatts due to the activities of the vandals, leading to the shut down of about twelve of the country’s power plants.

Subsequently, many Nigerians are becoming impatient with the APC government as they queried whether the change promised during the campaigns is gradually not turning turning to a mirage.

Some have even attributed the problems to the President Buhari frequent trips abroad, believing that his stay at home would have addressed the problems. Nevertheless, his party has stoutly defended the trips as being in the interest of the country in the long run.

But some observers have reasoned that the above scenarios could be a grand plot by certain interests, both local and foreign, to frustrate the government and turn the people against it. They are quick to make reference to how the first freely elected democratic president of Egypt, Mohammad Morsi was ousted from power by the country’s powerful military with the backing of the US and other European and Asian nations.

The Egypt-Morsi scenario

Ousted President Morsi of Egypt

 

The one year of President Morsi’s government witnessed unprecedented sabotage by the powers-that-be in the country. All his reform efforts were frustrated and never got adequate media coverage. Rather, only the perceived negatives were parroted by both local and international media. The unfair media reportage and clandestine divisive activities of the Mubarak ex-men culminated in the ousting of Morsi in June 2013.

Immediately after the infamous coup, the streets seethe with anti-Morsi protests became empty suddenly! Long queues at gas stations disappeared, power cuts stopped and the police, who had withdrawn their services despite several appeals from the president, returned to the street willingly.

Anti-Morsi protest in Egypt

The apparently miraculous end to the crippling energy shortages, and the re-emergence of the police, seems to show that the legions of personnel left in place after former President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in 2011 played a significant role, intentionally or not, in undermining the overall quality of life under the administration of President Morsi.

Morsi’s supporters expectedly concluded that the sudden turnaround proves that their opponents conspired to make his government fail. Not only did police officers seem to disappear, but the state agencies responsible for providing electricity and ensuring gas supplies failed so fundamentally that gas lines and rolling blackouts fed widespread anger and frustration.

Naser el-Farash, who served as the spokesman for the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade under President Morsi, said: “Different circles in the state, from the storage facilities to the cars that transport petrol products to the gas stations, all participated in creating the crisis.”

Working behind the scenes, members of the old establishment, some of them close to Mr. Mubarak and the country’s top generals, also helped finance, advise and organize those determined to topple the Islamist leadership, including Naguib Sawiris, a billionaire and an outspoken foe of the Brotherhood; Tahani el-Gebali, a former judge on the Supreme Constitutional Court who is close to the ruling generals; and Shawki al-Sayed, a legal adviser to Ahmed Shafik, Mr. Mubarak’s last prime minister, who lost the presidential race to Mr. Morsi,” Ben Hubbard and David D. Kirkpatrick wrote in the New York Times July 10, 2013.

They went further that, “When Mr. Mubarak was removed after nearly 30 years in office in 2011, the bureaucracy he built stayed largely in place. Many business leaders, also a pillar of the old government, retained their wealth and influence.

“Despite coming to power through the freest elections in Egyptian history, Mr. Morsi was unable to extend his authority over the sprawling state apparatus, and his allies complained that what they called the “deep state” was undermining their efforts at governing.

“

Mr. Sawiris, one of Egypt’s richest men and a titan of the old establishment, said Wednesday that he had supported an upstart group called “tamarrod,” Arabic for “rebellion,” that led a petition drive seeking Mr. Morsi’s ouster. He donated use of the nationwide offices and infrastructure of the political party he built, the Free Egyptians. He provided publicity through a popular television network he founded and his major interest in Egypt’s largest private newspaper. He even commissioned the production of a popular music video that played heavily on the network.

Naguib

“Tamarrod did not even know it was me!” he said. “I am not ashamed of it.”

“He said he had publicly predicted that ousting Mr. Morsi would bolster Egypt’s sputtering economy because it would bring in billions of dollars in aid from oil-rich monarchies afraid that the Islamist movement might spread to their shores. By Wednesday, a total of $12 billion had flowed in from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. “That will take us for 12 months with no problem,” Mr. Sawiris said.

“Mr. Farash, the trade ministry spokesman under Mr. Morsi, attributed the fuel shortages to black marketers linked to Mr. Mubarak, who diverted shipments of state-subsidized fuel to sell for a profit abroad. Corrupt officials torpedoed Mr. Morsi’s introduction of a smart card system to track fuel shipments by refusing to use the devices, he said.

“But not everyone agreed with that interpretation, as supporters of the interim government said the improvements in recent days were a reflection of Mr. Morsi’s incompetence, not a conspiracy.”

Although the conspiracy angle to Mr Morsi’s fall in Egypt had been disputed, all signs pointed towards the ‘truness’ of the conspiracy!

Elbaradai

Whether correct or not, our own president Buhari must learn from the circumstances that led to the fall of Morsi. He should not assume that majority of Nigerians are behind him and because of that become insensitive to the possibility of the fifth columnists upstaging his government. PMB should also be wary of international support and accolades his government has garnered in the almost one year in power, because such support and accolades were also accorded Mr Morsi by the US and the Gulf monarchs who later connived with saboteurs within Egypt to sweep him out of power.

The saboteurs do not need to be confrontational. They only need to orchestrate a process that will make the masses turn against the government, and then the aggrieved elites, whose source of livelihood has been badly affected by the anti-corruption war will naturally capitalise on the anger of the masses to bring down the government.

Already, a group, #OccupyNigeria, which never occupied even Abuja during the locust years of the PDP, is calling on Nigerians for mass protest against the gruelling fuel crisis and acute power shortage in the country.

Naguib Sawiris, the Elbaradai and co, planned, funded and executed the ‘popular’ uprising that brought down Morsi’s government. PMB should not sleep as Sawiris and Baradais in Nigeria could also be executing their plans as well.

It is important for the presidency to quickly identify these negative but devilish forces and deal with them decisively to avoid a repeat of 1984 tragedy when the fifth columnists had a field day.

Bola Tinubu

The massively organised and highly respected APC team should also wake up from their slumber and deploy the same dreaded tactics of the campaign era, not only to counter such debilitating moves but also rise up to tell their stories, just as some are beginning to ask: 'where are the Lai Muhammeds and Bola Tinubus and Dino Melayes of the campaign era?'.

Lai Mohammed

Mr President, please, watch your back!!!

 

 

HELP, TERRORISTS ON RAMPAGE IN THE WEST BANK!

An Israeli border police officer aims his weapon at protesters during a demonstration against the Israeli settlements

The deafening silence of the world powers over the ongoing Israeli terrorism in the occupied Palestine is not only disgusting, irritating and nonsensical but also inhuman and unacceptable. 

Over the last two weeks, illegal settlers in the West Bank and Jerusalem have killed no less than thirty innocent Palestinians in cold blood. Over one thousand have also been injured. While this carnage is going unchecked, the US and its allies, including the gulf monarchs, have remained unconcerned. 

The reportage of the situation has also not been fair as Israel, rather than being portrayed as the real aggressor and terrorist, the Palestinians who had endured the Israeli oppression for decades, are shown as the oppressors. 

Reporting for Israeli Occupation in Palestine

 

For instance, the ever pro-Israeli BBC had the headline ‘Palestinian rioters torch Jewish holy site Joseph's Tomb.’ The story, which reported the attack on Joseph’s Tomb in the West Bank City of Nablus by Palestinians, from paragraph one to the last elicits sympathy for Israel and rage towards the Palestinians. The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbass, who has been alleged to be having security cooperation with Israel, condemned the attack on the tomb in strong terms. Equally, Israel's military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said the attack was "a blatant violation of the basic value of freedom of worship."

While the Israelis are doing the physical killing, the media is helping to effect the psychological brainwashing of the world on the real situation of things there.

The atrocities by Israeli settlers have both political and religious backing. These two support base spur them on to continue their killings unchecked. The terrorist settlers have been operating under the military cover of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and on Friday, 16 October, Rabbis in the terrorist enclave declared that the killing of Palestinian resistance fighters is "a religious duty!

According to Israeli news website, Walla, when right-wing rabbi, Rav Benzion Mutzafi was asked tquestions whether settlers are allowed to kick the insurgent (Palestinians), hit him or shoot him in order to kill him after he has been arrested or is this prohibited, he replied that "It is not only desirable to do so, but it is a religious duty that you hold his head down to the ground and hit him until his last breath."

Similarly, Middle-east Monitor reported that the Chief Rabbi of the city of Safed Shmuel Eliyahu called for all Israeli police officers and soldiers who allow Palestinian resistance fighters to live after their arrest.

 

Chief Rabbi of the city of Safed, Shmuel Eliyahu

Eliyahu wrote on Facebook that "It is prohibited to keep the vandal alive after the operation, because if he is left alive, there is a fear that he would be released and then he would kill others." 

It is pertinent to reiterate that the world is fully aware of the real terrorists in this conflict. The western media may continue to distort the information concerning Israel’s terrorist activities in Palestine, but the truth no matter what will certainly surface soon and when it does, the oppressors will have no option but to surrender to natural justice!

Palestine, remain firm, the whole world is with you!!!