Furthermore, the criticism that turned Israel into a punching bag did not come from Arabs or Muslims. It came from the Russians, the Chinese, the Europeans and the Israelis themselves.It appeared as though the politically calculated bombardment of Gaza by Israel, which mostly targeted innocent civilians, had the same effect in the West as it did in the East. Israel lost the confidence of the global public in a way that will be hard to regain. Enough is said on the matter when one considers that even China, which is frequently criticized for its own violations of human rights, is criticizing Israel. A Chinese official asked to speak and said: "There is a law whose truth has been proven through time: A tyranny which continues for a long time will eventually ruin those who enforced it."
But the irony in this is that Ehud Olmert, the political leader of the dramatic situation in Gaza, is completely unaware of how much the world hates what he has done. Or perhaps he is completely indifferent.
Olmert laughed throughout his speech, which he made via telecast. The topic being discussed was how the crisis in Gaza was being handled by the media -- and it was addressed in a very serious fashion. The subtopics included the limitations set on global media by Israel and how it was possible for bombs dropped on Gaza to serve as entertainment for Israelis.
Olmert, however, assumed the attitude of an official from a Nordic country that has had no involvement in any conflict or wrongdoing in the domain of human rights violations. He tried to ward off Pakistani journalist Naveen Naqvi's difficult questions, laughing and joking while doing so. He was the embodiment of a cordial statesman while delivering his speech, but he had no idea of what was to follow after he ended his statement. Had I had the chance, I would have asked him how, as a former mayor of Jerusalem, he could boast about a tragedy which has received backlash from the entire world.
Olmert's speech was solidly grounded in an understanding that is continually used by Israel in Western media outlets: Israel is the only democracy in the region and we (Israel) are fighting against terrorists who are trying to topple this democracy.
The first answer to this argument came from Maxim Shevchenko, the host of a political debate program on Russia's Channel One. "How can there be democracy in a country where 11,000 Palestinians are being held captive as political prisoners? Gaza is the world's largest indoor hostage camp, and like every country that wants to kill people, Israel is keeping the world and media far from the region," he said.
After the Russian journalist, the floor went to Gideon Levy from Israel's Haaretz daily. He first said Israel is a democratic state and its media organizations are free. But then he listed his harsh criticism. "While the Israeli media is free, they immediately start to collaborate with the government when it comes to the occupation. They become the functionaries of the occupation. Many colleagues of mine think that without their service, the occupation cannot be maintained. They lack all sorts of ethical concerns. No one looks at what really happens. Yet, if they accept that Palestinians are human beings like themselves, the occupation would end. For several months before the war, the Israeli media was trumpeting the big operation. They were saying that this would protect Israel. They were displaying the tunnels and rockets of Hamas. It was as if we were ahead of a world war. Before any clash was seen, Israeli soldiers were depicted as heroes fighting against the enemy that was violent and equipped with heavy weaponry. They portrayed the Israeli army as the most ethical army in the world. The occupation was in place for 40 years, but no Israeli doubted its legitimacy. Anyone coming from Western countries to visit Israel is taken to two places: Sderot, hit by Hamas rockets, and the Holocaust museum. Israel is depicted as innocent while Palestinians are wild people born to kill. But no one voices the fact that only 11 people died because of these rockets for the last seven years and that Sderot was established on the land of destroyed Palestinian villages," he said.
Then, British deputy George Galloway took the floor and indicated that Olmert's claim about Israel being democratic can only be laughed at, asking: "What democratic country discriminates against 1.5 million of its people? What democratic country has roads and tunnels dedicated to Jews only? What democratic country has kept 50 deputies in prison?" He further explained that he had recently visited Gaza and what he saw looked like the scene of an earthquake, but with one difference: In the event of an earthquake, the entire world would rush to help, but there, the world is helping not the earthquake victims, but Israel.
Levy added that for the first time an embargo has been imposed on a people who are under blockade, condemning European leaders for hobnobbing with Olmert in Jerusalem under these circumstances. He stressed that Israel cannot find a solution without facing the dire consequences of its occupation. When the Russian journalist reiterated that those who say Sderot was built on occupied Palestinian land are imprisoned, Levy said: "I am Israeli and a patriot. To criticize and be objective does not mean being against Israel. To voice wrong practices is to be a true patriot."
While this heated debated continued, one of the participants, Alexander Kogan, an Israeli journalist who migrated from Russia, attempted to defend Israel's policies using Olmert's typical arguments, but they were given no heed.
At that time, no one wanted to be associated with Israel in one way or another. For a moment, the old image of Turkey as a country which had problems with all of its neighbors, including Syria, Greece, Bulgaria and Iraq, and which relied on its hard power rather than being a soft power came to my mind. In that era, when a meeting was held about Turkey, both Western and Eastern countries harshly criticized it. Minorities as well as ethnic groups had a go at Turkey. It was questioned about its relations with Israel, its human rights record, its Kurdish policy and cases of torture.
Thank God and the sensible politics pursued recently, for our country is now gradually correcting its image and being seen as a peaceful country. The world can see that Turkey has the intention of solving its problems, however serious they may be -- although weapons found buried here and there show that the mentality of pursuing politics based on hard power is still alive. Turkey will hopefully get rid of this mindset that pits sisters and brothers against one another and declares all neighbors enemies. Looking at Israel, ruled by today's hawkish politicians, one can draw very important lessons as to how a country should not be. It seems to me that if the domestic and international fantasies of Ergenekon members come true, Turkey would become nothing but a big Israel. May God protect our nation from such a fate. Let us hope that Israel sees its wrongs as soon as possible.
