.Turkey Still Besieges Its Kurds
Turkey Still Besieges Its Kurds
By Uzay Bulut, Gatestone Institute, November 6, 2015
The Kurdish town of Cizre in Turkey was indiscriminately bombarded by Turkish security forces in September. Many homes were heavily damaged or destroyed. Photographic evidence shows many buildings and vehicles in the town riddled with bullet holes.
For the past few years, the AKP government has proudly proclaimed that it wanted to resolve the Kurdish issue: "bring peace" to Turkey. But the government has kept attacking Kurds, including their legal political party, the People's Democratic Party (HDP).
"We target those who target Turkey. If they have not targeted Turkey, we do not target them," Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in televised comments on July 27.
But of all the civilian Kurds killed or tortured lately, which ones targeted Turkey? And how?
This year, the Turkish government and state authorities have been using "ditches," "barricades" or young Kurds clashing with police as excuses to terrorize the Kurdish provinces. The authorities claim that the Kurds are "terrorists," and that they, the authorities, are simply maintaining order and protecting lives.
The aim of the Turkish state and military, however, does not seem to be to "stop criminals." If you try to stop criminals, you do not daily commit crimes even more brutal than theirs.
The aim of the Turkish government seems to be to attack and destroy Kurds simply for being Kurds. They have been arbitrarily arrested, tortured or murdered wholesale ever since the Turkish Republic was established in 1923.
According to the state ideology and the mainstream media, if Kurds ask for rights, it is due to "American imperialism," "an Israeli scheme," or some other "external factor," never to the Kurds' genuine wish to live in dignity as equals.
The authorities could have negotiated with Kurdish politicians -- who declared several times that they were willing to reach a peaceful and democratic resolution for the Kurdish issue -- but they have not.
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Where is Lawrence of Arabia when we really need him?
IMO, the Turks will not stop until they have eliminated the Kurds as a people..Ask the Armenians about the Turks, and their methods of genocide.
It looks like Gaza. There is a zero chance of any country influencing Turkey to treat the Kurds differently while that country simultaneously turns a blind eye to Israel's equally appalling treatment of the Palestinians. In fact, that double standard not only eliminates the moral authority which would otherwise support criticism of Turkey but also gives Turkey cover to collectively punish the entire Kurdish population under the guise of fighting terrorism.
A free Kurdistan, composed of part of Turkey and Northern Iraq is the answer.
None of this has anything to do in any way with the occupation of Jewish land in the West Bank and Gaza; or the slaughter of Jewish citizens by nefarious terrorist forces.
The real loss of credibility goes to those who conflate things that are not in any way shape or form connected.
It is better to remain silent and be thought the fool, than to verbalize and prove it.
A free Kurdistan, composed of part of Turkey and Northern Iraq is the answer.
And there's about as much chance of Turkey agreeing to that as there is of Israel giving up land between the West Bank and Gaza to make a free Palestine.
None of this has anything to do in any way with the occupation of Jewish land in the West Bank and Gaza; or the slaughter of Jewish citizens by nefarious terrorist forces. The real loss of credibility goes to those who conflate things that are not in any way shape or form connected.
It has everything to do with Israel because the Israeli/Palestinian situation highlights a double standard. Sticking your head in the sand changes nothing other than your personal field of vision.
It is better to remain silent and be thought the fool, than to verbalize and prove it.
Sage advice that you would do well to follow yourself.
"It has everything to do with Israel because the Israeli/Palestinian situation highlights a double standard."
Look who's talking about double standard!!! Did the Kurds send rockets and missiles to the non-Kurd parts of Turkey?
No the Kurds are afraid to stand up to their oppressive government just like the Chinese.
You mean like this?
Let's see YOU do this Dean.
Commies probably killed him as the rest of country kissed their rumps and said thanks for the bag of rice.
"Would you like my second born?"
You know so little about China you're not aware that the Government now says it's okay to have a second child, and previously all minority groups and farmers were permitted to have a second child. With 1.4 billion people occupying a country bigger than the USA some people realized there was a problem 30 years ago. But with your lack of knowledge of China you wouldn't be aware of that either. In fact, one might question your need to criticize a country you know so little about. Ever lived there, Dean?
A superb display of paranoid xenophobia, Dean.
What a load of crap Dean. For someone that bills himself as exceptional you really need a course in world history, both past and present.
The Kurds? Afraid of ANYTHING? What have you been smoking????
Look who's talking about double standard!!! Did the Kurds send rockets and missiles to the non-Kurd parts of Turkey?
No but, through the PKK, Kurds engage in other acts of terrorism (see link) so your comment is a distinction without a difference and a feeble attempt to justify an obvious double standard. But as I said initially, good luck with trying to reign in Turkey while ignoring Israel's equally appalling behavior.
Thank you Enoch
Sorry about the double posting - I couldn't delete the one with a bad link so I did the whole thing a second time. I should have just done a comment with a corrected link.