US lawmakers warn Turkey to back off Israel
US lawmakers are getting fed up with Turkey's continuing antagonism toward Israel, which escalated in the wake of Israel's raid on a Gaza blockade-busting flotilla this month, during which nine Turkish citizens with ties to terrorist organizations were killed.
Turkey led the international community in condemning Israel for the raid, and has set up its own commission of inquiry into the incident. Ankara has also threatened to downgrade ties with Israel and may not return its ambassador to Tel Aviv.
A number of members of the US House of Representatives warned in interviews this week that Turkey will suffer consequences if it continues down this path.
In March of this year, a bill recognizing Turkey's genocide against the Armenians during and after World War I passed a House committee by a single vote. But many congressmen who previously opposed calling Turkey out publicly for that past sin now say they may support the bill when it comes before the full House of Representatives in the near future.
The lawmakers said that Turkey is clearly moving closer to Iran and its terrorist proxies and adopting a more Islamic position. That being the case, they are less concerned about damaging US-Turkish relations by officially recognizing a holocaust only slightly less severe than that carried out against the Jews of Europe during the second world war.
Turkey has conducted a charm offensive in Washington since the bill was first introduced. But several lawmakers suggested it was hypocritical for Turkey to insist that the US treat it with kid gloves, while being so exaggeratedly harsh with Israel.
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