It’s Starting: Israeli Gov’t Issues Travel Warning to Turkey

The Israeli government today issued a travel warning to Turkey in response to demonstrations taking place around the Israeli Consultate in Istanbul and the Israeli Embassy in Ankara.

“This delicate state of affairs is liable to deteriorate into violent outbreaks against Israelis in Turkey,” warned the National Security Council Counter-Terrorism Bureau (NSCCTB) in a statement released Monday to the media. “Israelis due to leave for Turkey should — at this stage — refrain from traveling until the situation becomes clear. Israelis currently in Turkey should remain in their places of residence, avoid city centers and sites in which demonstrations are being held, and monitor developments out of concern that the situation could worsen,” the agency warned.

The protests were apparently ignited in response to the confrontation that ensued when a flotilla sponsored by so-called “peace activists” tried to challenge Israel’s sovereignty over Gaza’s coastal waters late Sunday night. 

In actuality, radical Muslim extremists were among those behind the attempt, as became obvious when Israeli Navy personnel attempted to redirect the vessels to the Ashdod port, where their "humanitarian aid" would have been off-loaded for legal delivery through the land crossings into Gaza.

The ships refused to stop, and a confrontation ensued, with Israeli soldiers being forced to board the vessels to take control -- a situation the organizers clearly had hoped for in order to provoke a conflict for media consumption. The so-called “peace activists” had stockpiled a cache of weapons, including guns, daggers, clubs and knives. At least one IDF soldiers was shot and critically wounded. A second was stabbed in the stomach.

Turkey provided material support to the organizers of the flotilla, a move that follows its recent tightening of relations with Iran and Syria in an apparent new alliance that builds on the already-firm axis between Iran, Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas.

This latest development forms an updated version of that military axis, which could signal a new threat to the Jewish State -- especially in light of the fact that up to this point Israel shared much of its military information and operations as well as other technological information with Turkey, formerly a close ally.

What Really Happened...

So-called "peace activists" -- actually provocateurs dressed in anarchists' clothing -- have tried once again to challenge Israel's sovereignty over the coastal waters of Gaza, determined by the Oslo Accords decades ago.

It is true that the Palestinian Authority and its supporters have chosen to respect little in connection with that agreement, other than the clauses which the Arab world finds favorable. However, that does not mean the document is any the less legal for all of that, much as some in Israel would also have preferred it never to have been signed.

Since it remains so, it must be respected by all -- including the international bodies that allowed their representatives to act as proxies in challenging Israel's sovereignty.

It does raise the question, however, of whether a burgeoning new axis is forming on the horizon to supplement that of the already cemented alliance between Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Hizbullah and Hamas. Do we now see the emergence of a new one between Turkey, Brazil, Venezuela and Iran as well? And are Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Greece and Cyprus contemplating joining them?

When then should we expect the advent of World War III, and with whom will Britain and France ally themselves this time? Germany, at present friendly to Israel, nonetheless saw its largest bank divest itself from Elbit Systems at the first hint of criticism from a couple of "humanitarian" nongovernmental organizations, one of which is associated with the Catholic Church. Elbit, an Israeli defense firm, provides electronics systems and technical support in the construction of the security barrier in Judea and Samaria -- a project that has saved countless civilian lives (yes, Catholic ones too!), but which the "peace activists" oppose because it upsets the Palestinian Authority.

Good thing the IDF continues to train -- and Home Front Command continues to drill the civilian population each year...

Gaza Rockets Bring a Changed Reality

I felt the first hint of a changed reality as the bus cruised its way toward Kiryat Gat last Tuesday evening. There had been a few rockets launched that way, and I wondered if perhaps I would finally be witness to the phenomenon. After all, there is a war on.

The bus was unusually empty, but I gave it little thought, and since I had not listened to the radio since ending my shift an hour earlier, I did not know that the first long-range missile had finally reached Be'er Sheva. In blissful ignorance I traveled to Jerusalem, had my meeting, and boarded the bus for the return ride at 11:00 pm none the wiser.

It wasn't until everyone was off the bus, and the driver was a few blocks from my house that he casually mentioned the attack on Be'er Sheva. He added that a rocket had also landed near Rahat, the largest Bedouin city in the nation.

I was stunned, but hid my shock. "So they finally did it, huh? NOTHING ever happens here in Arad. How BORING," I said with a grin. "Stupid, too. Suicidal, to hit the Bedouin. They don't forgive or forget, and revenge is for seven generations. These terrorists are going to end up BEGGING to enter our jails before it's over." Waving goodnight, I sauntered down the street.

In bed, I obsessed for hours trying to decide whether it had been an anomaly or if in fact it was the start of a new trend in rocket launches. Sleep eluded me, and after a two-hour nap, I faced the day with grainy eyes and a new cup of joe.

I dragged myself to the bus stop, since I had to go to the Tax Office – in Be'er Sheva. The latest news caught up with me as a fellow passenger tried to calm a friend down on the phone.

My questions didn't have long to wait. While I had struggled to rest, in the hour after dawn, the faceless terrorists who hated me so much had already gotten busy and fired another missile.

This time their aim was better; instead of hitting the schoolyard as they had the night before, the long-range Chinese-made Grad-type Katyusha missile had slammed into a ninth grade classroom.

Home Front Command had robbed the terrorists of their prey, however: the centrally-located Be'er Sheva high school was empty. The IDF had advised the city to cancel school and keep children home for the rest of the week.

The problem was that the siren wasn't working in most parts of the city – so people had no idea when or if there were rockets flying their way. Radio Darom (Southern Radio) ended up picking up the slack by becoming the platform for broadcasting the alert instead; but the 200,000 residents of the city were less than comforted.

The young lady sitting next to me on the bus was downright unhappy. Her boss, who lived in Jerusalem, had no idea what was going on and had insisted she open the store, which was located next to the Central Bus Station, a key target. She called him back and finally convinced him to turn on the news; once he heard that a school had been hit, he changed his tune quickly and told her to go home. She got off the bus long before we reached the city and headed back.

It was more than a little weird riding on the bus, in essence, a moving target. I became unnaturally aware of being exposed to the elements, completely at the mercy of any flying object. The bus driver seemed unperturbed, however. (I once heard that all the bus drivers in Israel were former IDF tank corps members – now I believe it.)

Since I began writing this post, former IDF tank corps members have since been called back to their vehicles and are now lined up and moving into Gaza.

I don't know if our bus driver is among them. But whoever they are, may G-d protect them from all harm and bring them all back safe to their families and to us here at home -- and yes, to their buses... sigh...