Jan 06, 2009 Homepage News National Diplomacy Politics World Business Interviews Columnists Op-Ed Arts & Culture Expat Zone Features Travel Leisure Life Cartoons Weird But True Sports Health Briefs Turkish Press Review Today’s think tanks Turkey in Foreign Press News Diplomacy Superpower keeping super silent on Gaza

The public conscience knows very well that when Israeli state officials mention an “international understanding” about Israel’s reasons to attack Gaza, they mean the “American understanding.” And, in fact, Israel has so far been rewarded with a clear “understanding.”

The Bush administration has put the onus on Hamas, saying Hamas was the one responsible for the breaking of the cease-fire. Though the administration called for an immediate halt to the violence, it has not clearly demanded an end to the Israeli attacks. The UN Security Council has also failed to agree on a statement calling for a cease-fire, despite nearly four hours of closed-door talks late on Saturday.

As major world powers have failed to condemn the Israeli atrocities with clear language, Israeli officials have made it clear that they feel little international pressure. An Israeli government spokesperson said on Sunday that the international community understands Israel’s reasons for launching its offensive in the Gaza Strip. “There is, on an international level, much understanding of the fact that we are exercising our legitimate right to self-defense against attacks perpetrated from the territory of Gaza by Hamas terrorists,” said Israeli government spokesperson Avi Pazner in an interview with French radio station Europe 1.

Observers do not expect any meaningful change in US policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after Barack Obama is sworn in to the presidential office. Obama and his advisors have kept silent on the current situation in Gaza as would be expected, but Obama visited the southern Israeli town of Sderot last July and, while speaking there, he said from the very first moment after taking office he will try to seek a breakthrough. But he added that it was unrealistic to expect him to “suddenly snap his fingers and bring about peace.” Sderot is one city in southern Israel that is being hit by Qassam rockets from Hamas.

Retired Gen. Kürşat Atılgan, a Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputy, told Today’s Zaman that American power has shown its influence not only on the UN Security Council, but also among Arab leadership. “Three quarters of Arab states are under American control. The international community cannot do anything about this. This is not a new tragedy. Israel knows very well from its past experience that the international community does nothing tangible to stop Israel. This shows Israel’s political power. Israel tops the list of countries that have a disproportionate amount of political power compared to its national power,” he said.

The US has consistently vetoed UN Security Council decisions condemning Israel for atrocities in the region, even though Israel has violated Security Council resolutions 242, 338, 1397 and 1515 several times in the past. The Syrian foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, said yesterday that he and his country are not expecting any real solutions from the UN Security Council, as the US is working at the beck and call of Israel.

On the other hand, many observers believe that it is not willingness but effectiveness that the US administration lacks when it comes to forcing Israel to take a particular position. Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy Suat Kınıklıoğlu told Today’s Zaman that the fact that the pro-Israeli lobby has managed to penetrate US political circles is a very important element that explains America’s silence. “Another problem is the current state of the US administration. The old administration is not yet out of office fully and the new administration has not yet been finalized,” he said. Kınıklıoğlu noted that he thinks the timing of the Israeli attacks is not random. “The country that has perpetuated these attacks would have calculated all these facts,” he said.

Onur Öymen, deputy chairman of the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP), stated that whereas the US does not have the willingness or effectiveness to force Israel’s hand, the Turkish government’s misperception that it can force Israel to declare a cease-fire is self-deception. “The prime minister of Israel came to Turkey just before the planned attack. He spoke to the Turkish prime minister and said nothing [about it] to him. They say they informed Egypt. This means they do not take Turkey seriously. Furthermore, the countries the [Turkish] prime minister is visiting are in no position to influence Israel,” he told Today’s Zaman.

Is there an alternative to the US?

Political observers hope that public protests in the streets can act as leverage against Israeli actions in Gaza. Kınıklıoğlu highlighted the fact that thanks to the media, public opinion is no longer decided by decisions from the UN Security Council or their respective states. “There is an alternative picture in the media and this picture has the power to shape public perception of what is going on in Gaza. This is true also for the Arab public. The streets of Arab cities are demonstrating that their leaders have failed to show the necessary reaction to Israel. That is an important observation,” he explained.

Others foresee an increased European Union role in world politics. The fascinating performance of the negotiating couple of France and Turkey during the Russian invasion of Georgia last year suggests that together with Turkish help, the EU could be more effective, constructive and active in conflict resolution. But Öymen criticized the hypocrisy of the EU particularly with regard to regional disputes. “When it came to Georgia, Europe showed a greater response. [Nicolas] Sarkozy worked very hard to push Russia to a cease-fire. Why is he not so active here? The [Czech EU presidency spokesman Jiri Potuznik] claimed that this is a ‘defensive attack.’ Why did they not say the same for Russia? They are claiming that Hamas started this fight in the first place. Well, Georgia was the first to start that fight also. The international community has lost its trustworthiness,” he said to Today’s Zaman.

A small country proposes a small but effective solution

According to a well-informed source in the Office of the Prime Ministry, Qatar has prepared a small but effective plan to be put in front of the UN Security Council in order to ease the tragedy that Palestinians are facing in Gaza. The plan, supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is a proposal to create safe havens in certain schools in Gaza for students. According to the proposal, the UN would declare a number of school buildings “untouchable” and would put highly visible signs over these buildings. The schools would provide both first aid and educational facilities for the students. This would help give a hope of normalization to Palestinians and reduce the number of children and teenage casualties. If the Qatari proposal is accepted and any one of the UN protected buildings is hit by Israeli bombardments, this would automatically receive greater international condemnation. The Qatari officials are hoping that the US won’t veto this humanitarian proposal as it does not include any condemnation of Israel. Such UN protection would mean the prevention of random bombardment, the use of cluster bombs and the new Israeli air-to-ground missile “flare.” Whether Israel will submit to the Qatari proposal or a UN Security Council decision in the same direction is yet to be seen.