If this SOB manages to gin up a war against Israel, does that mean Turkey’s fellow NATO members will have to support it (i.e. Obama’s Amerikkka)?
Israel needs to step up development of Leviathan. That gas can really transform the country.
Jeez how scary. I guess we should have let the Turkish army overthrow the democratically elected government when they wanted to. Since that missed chance the armed forces have been purged of all their secular stalwarts and its now firmly in the hands of islamists.
Apparently Turkey has some spare warships they want to get rid of.
This will not end well.
So the Turkish navy runs the Israeli blockade, prompting military action by Israel, and Obama has a great excuse to side with our NATO ally Turkey against Israeli aggression. Right on schedule.
It looks like the Turks have a substantial advantage in terms of absolute numbers and displacement of naval units, while the Israelis have some advantage in terms of air power.
Turkish
14 Submarines
17 Frigates
7 Corvettes
27 Fast attack craft and missile boat
220 F-16
157 F-4
vs.
Israeli
3 Submarines
3 Corvettes
10 Missile Boats
58 F-15
25 F-15E
325 F-16
I don’t know what the differences are in training, morale, and technology, but they can only cover for so much.
It would be a hell of a fight - Turks are NOT Arabs. They won’t punch out because the missile warning light came on.
Also, if there really was a confrontation, you have to wonder who else would jump in.
When exactly did Turkey become Syria, except bigger and with NATO membership? Someone?
Act of war.
Maybe this, and Libya, will cause us to reassess NATO..maybe get out of it..
Israel to Erdogan, “Bring it on, bitch!”
OHH it is true Nachum I hear this morning on Al Jazeera English news which I get on KCET LA this morning
NATO is a defense treaty. We wouldn’t be obligated to come to the aid of Turkey. However, the United States does have a treaty with Israel to give aid to her, if attacked. For example, during the first gulf war. Israel was provided Patriot Missile batteries, along with training on how to use them.
Maybe Israelis need to escort military supplies to Armenia, or to Greek Cypriots, or to the Kurds
I can think of a thousand things to do with pork in this situation.
Breaking a blockade with a warship is only permissible if it is the warship of a neutral nation, escorting a cargo ship to a port, designated by the blockading force for the reception and inspection of humanitarian goods.
Otherwise it is both an act of war, and the Captain of that ship may be tried for piracy, even if ordered to do so by his superiors.
Israel has very carefully set up its embargo so that it follows all international rules of the sea and blockades, which go back over a hundred years, and were most recently revised in the 1990s.
Israel was chastised over the seized cargo ship last time, because they initiated action against it while it was still in international waters, even though it was intending to enter the embargo zone, and said so.
But Turkey will likely find that force projection is not as easy as Erdogan’s ego imagines. Their ships are strategically and tactically outmatched by Israel, and guaranteed, Israel will do everything by the numbers to insure that if Turkey declares war, it will do so as the aggressor nation, which will forfeit any international legal support.
Erdogan would then likely face war crimes charges.
A: In order to see the Turkish Navy.
However, I'm sure that President Outreach will silently applaud these Turkish moves against our “ungrateful” ally.
“Gobble! Gobble!”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”