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From: wolda002@umn.edu
Date: Wed Jan 27 2010 - 23:42:02 EST
The Meanings of Apology
Sunday 24 January 2010
By Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban
Once again, this honorable man, Raceb Tayeb Erdogan does it. He struck a
living example of the importance of leaders taking courageous and dignified
stands. The respect awarded to him by his people is only the result of his
concern for the dignity of his country and his people. The dignity he
showed when he left the Davos debate became a model of not fearing anything
or anybody when taking the right position. The position was in defense of
the people of Gaza; but there is no doubt that it was an expression of
Erdogan’s respect for his national identity and dignity. And this is
exactly what the world understood from his stance.
Erdogan’s movements, language and facial expressions left no doubt that
this is a national leader who is keen on protecting the dignity of his
country and the same way he protects his family. Is there anyone in the
world who does not respect a leader when he lives his principles,
identifies completely with the causes of his nation and truly and honestly
represents his country in the best possible way?
Once again, a few days ago, Erdogan taught the Zionist entity, whose crimes
no Western government dared criticize even mildly, a lesson in apologizing,
something the Zionist authorities had insisted they would never do. He gave
them a few hours to do that after which their apologies will not be
accepted.
The criminals of the Zionist entities have exceeded every limit with their
arrogance and impunity; yet, Western officials dare only repeat parrot-like
phrases like “commitment to Israel’s security”.
Despite all the crimes Israeli war criminals have committed for a hundred
years, including massacres, torture, settlement, siege, the segregation
wall, using internationally-banned weapons, they never had to apologize to
the Arabs, simply because they have never been asked to apologize in the
first place, and were never given deadlines after which their apologies
will not be accepted.
The Erdogan principled model, characterized by national dignity and pride,
is based on popular support not the support of foreign powers and
oppressive state apparatuses. That is why Erdogan’s Turkey refused to
help its old ally in invading Iraq, and that is why it voiced its support
for Gaza instead of taking part in the blockade with its former ally.
These are lessons to the Arab official system on more than one level.
First, that Turkey, which built extensive relations with Israel publicly
voices it support to Arab states by deed not by word.
Second, the distinguished relations Turkey built, at a certain time, with
Israel did not prevent it from condemning its crimes publicly.
Third, that all the Arab good-will initiatives and confidence-building
measures are futile with an arrogant and racist enemy, and that the only
language it understands is the language of power which corners it and
forces it to apologize for the arrogance of its tyrants. At a time that
Zionist propaganda used to create the illusion in the public’s mind that
the Turkish army needs the Israeli military industry, and that Israel is
doing Turkey huge favors by having relations with it, here are the leaders
of the Zionist entity acknowledging that they need Turkey and that Turkey
does not need them. That is why they had to apologize for the behavior of
an arrogant and careless racist. This type of Israeli behavior is typical
in their treatment of Arabs to the extent that they thought it normal and
that everyone should accept this kind of behavior; until they discovered
that a man with dignity and pride forced them to swallow their tongues and
apologize for their hideous behavior.
Fourth, behaving with dignity and pride is the only behavior that this
entity accepts, that all attempts at appeasing it will not work and will
not restore rights to their owners and that volunteering to suppress Arab
resistance will only fuel this enemy’s arrogance and tyranny.
Fifth, the daily killing of Palestinians, the blockade imposed on them and
depriving them of freedom is not caused only by the Israeli occupation but
also by the weakness of the Arabs and their inability to coordinate their
positions, unify their visions and stand united against any crime committed
against any Arab in any Arab country.
Hence, the greatest looser as a result of this Arab condition are Arab
citizens, who are of course responsible for observing this reality, dealing
with it and trying to change it in a manner that protects their dignity and
freedom and achieve their legitimate aspirations. The clear lesson from the
Erdogan model is also that working seriously for the cause of Palestine is
no longer limited to Arabs alone simply because the victims of this hideous
occupation are Arabs. Are not the positions taken by Erdogan, in defense of
Palestine and in support of the Palestinians more assertive than the
positions taken by some Arabs? Are not such positions immeasurably more
viable than those adopted by some Arabs in appeasing, not provoking and
building confidence with Israel in order to restore Arab rights?
Turkey has made tremendous efforts in support of the Viva Palestine convoy;
and Turkish people made generous contributions and donations to their
brothers and sisters in Palestine. A Turkish ship full of supplies sailed
to Gaza. The Arabs and the world realize today that the Turkish street
responds minute by minute to the tragedy of the Gaza people. Can anyone
deny all this simply because the Turks are not Arabs, for instance, and
condone the lack of Arab effort, or sometimes the loss of direction in
dealing with the enemy? This weakens the position of our sisters and
brothers in the great prison in which the tyrants of Israel imprison the
Arab people of Palestine. Can anyone ignore the holocaust survivor who went
on a hunger strike in Cairo in order to go to Gaza? Can anyone ignore the
thousands of young people and women who came from all parts of the world
and tried to get to Gaza on Christmas and New Year’s Eve in solidarity
with its people?
Does not the same thing apply to Iran which closed the Israel embassy and
opened instead an embassy for Palestine and supported its cause, since the
fall of the Shah, Israel’s ally?
Today, India is building a beautiful embassy for Palestine; and the cause
of Palestine receives unprecedented enthusiasm from young people in India
who inherited the love of justice from their great inspirer, Mahatma
Gandhi. Can anyone say that there is no need for Turkish, Iranian, Indian
or any other support for our causes on the pretext that it is not Arab
support, even when Arab support has declined in certain aspects because of
different visions or methods for achieving the higher goal.
The Israeli apology to the Turkish nation has a great significance. It is
another link in a series of cases where Israel is exposed for the arrogant,
racist and criminal entity it is before the whole world. This is despite
the fact that Western governments have closed their eyes and ears to these
crimes and still repeat the parrot statements about Israel despite the fact
that the real essence of this entity has been exposed to the whole world in
recent years.
Times have changed, and non-Arab parties have become more influential,
effective and enthusiastic in the struggle for the liberation of Palestine.
That is why the Palestinian people should not remain prisoner to official
Arab methods which have proven to be ineffective in this struggle. It
should, instead, hold on to any possibility that serves the goals of their
freedom and dignity.
Palestine has become a cause of international justice in which actors from
different religions – Jews, Christians and Muslims – play a new and
important role, and non-Arab parties also play a vital and welcome role
since it serves Arabs and thei