According to the Hurriyet Daily News, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will address the Arab League next week:
In his speech, Erdoğan will touch on the wave of popular unrest hitting the region in the “Arab Spring” and will also hit out against Israel, the Daily News has learned. His address to the Arab League will be part of Turkey’s ongoing campaign in the international arena against Israel, which has intensified since Tel Aviv refused to apologize for killing nine Turks last year aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship.
Turkey was once a force for moderation in the Middle East. Today, it is becoming a malignant influence in the region, as enthusiastic to undercut peace as is Iran, all for the sake of populist politics at home and abroad. If the White House and State Department are serious about peace, it’s time to shed the diplomatic nicety and call a spade a spade, and to stop referring to Turkey as a partner for peace.
