(Tablet) David P. Goldman - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan sees an opportunity to become the Mideast's regional hegemon, as well as Russia's strategic partner in oil and gas transmission. And to succeed he wants to rally the region's extremists to his neo-Ottoman cause. Turkey's public embrace of Hamas - which the EU and the U.S. consider a terrorist organization - has undercut traditional U.S. allies such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The biggest loser might be the Palestinian Authority. PA leader Mahmoud Abbas was cut off at the knees when the White House announced a $400 million Gaza aid package that will help resuscitate Hamas. Visiting the White House days later, Abbas reportedly begged Obama not to lift the Gaza blockade, which was sponsored by the Bush Administration after Hamas gunmen slaughtered Abbas' security people during the June 2007 Gaza coup.
2010-06-30 08:33:36Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive