British media confused over Turkish fighter incident

The Turkish Phantom Fighter was shot down deep inside Syrian airspace and only 10 km off the coast (as marked by the white dot in the black circle above).

I find it incredible reading the headlines in the Telegraph which said:

“Turkish plane may have been in Syrian airspace when shot down, says Turkish president Abdullah Gul”………in reality it became clear that this aircraft was flying  extremely close to the Syrian coast line and at least 10 km inside the territorial waters off Syria……..that is by no means a slight incursion!!

What is so interesting is the fact that earlier this year it was the Turkish Government who only last month sought an explanation from Israel in protest over an Israeli “violation” of the airspace of the Turkish northern part of Cyprus.” The Israeli aircraft had violated the airspace of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus five times in one day which saw Turkish fighter jets chase out the Israeli aircraft………as they say “What is good enough for the goose is good enough for the gander.”!!

Have you noticed that when an ally of the UK makes such a serious incursion or mistake our Prime Minister, David Cameron and William Hague remain tight lipped and say nothing……….on the other hand this could have started a major conflict due to the fact that Turkey is a NATO partner and their motto is “An attack on one is an attack on all” and so it is clear that this could have been and intended provocation with such retaliatory action in mind.

One could even question just how deep this incursion actually was because the 12 nautical mile limit extends from the low water mark on the coast and when you take into account that this aircraft was shot down in a bay it was clearly in gross violation of Syria´s sovereign territory and could have actually been almost on the coast at some point during its transit flight.

 

A Pair of Turkish Phantom fighters

 

One would expect that the Syrian Air Defence System would be on a 24/7 alert with the ongoing threat by the west and in particular from Israel who want to carry out air strikes as soon as possible……..one cannot compare this situation with the Israeli incursion into the Turkey sector of Cyprus because they are not in a state of conflict…….military speaking one would be foolish not to take drastic action when such high speed fighters enter your territory……it is also fact that all military aircraft, including reconnaissance aircraft, become legitimate targets under existing international law when it comes to the security of your country.

The Guardian however covering a different angle using the headlines: Ankara vows to take “necessary action” after Syria shoots down Turkish jet. The article continued…………the investigation was focusing on whether the plane was brought down within Turkey’s borders or over that of neighbouring Syria, which the Syrian government claims. “Because the consequences could be quite serious, there will be no clear statement before the details of the incident are scrutinised,”

It was the second part of this same article that I found incredible when it went on the say…….. With the second biggest army in NATO, a force hardened by nearly 30 years of fighting Kurdish rebels, Turkey would be a formidable foe for the Syrian army, which is already struggling to put down a 16-month-old revolt.

Let´s just focus on that comment of fighting the Kurdish rebels for over 30 years…….obviously no British newspaper is going to reveal that the Turkish Military carry out constant incursions deep inside Kurdistan (Iraq) and attack many villages and towns with both fighter aircraft, helicopters and ground assault vehicles with the help and advice of  US spy satellites…….this gross violation of Iraqi Sovereignty goes without any media comment and yet suddenly a one off incident such as this makes headlines in all  UK newspapers………how’s that for double standards!!

It is Turkey (who despite the fact being a Muslim country) are totally two faced when it comes to their neighboring brothers and it is Turkey who  now gives refuge to the rebel Free Syrian Army on its frontier with Syria and allows arms shipment and Special Forces activity to cross over into Syria.

What I found ironic about the Zioniost controlled media was the evidence I found that shows the same paragraph that was printed in The Guardian was also printed in the Israeli Haaretz newspaper word for word namely “With the second biggest army in NATO, a force hardened by nearly 30 years of fighting Kurdish rebels, Turkey would be a formidable foe for the Syrian army which is already struggling to put down a 16-month-old revolt………what more proof do you want to show of their total control of the British media.

I found the London Evening Standard newspaper comments regarding what was said by the Turkish President actually sums it all up in a very hypocritical way:  It was “routine” for jets flying in high-speeds to violate other countries’ airspaces for short periods of time and yet it was this same President who was so critical of Israel´s violations of its airspace in Cyprus five times in one day.

 

 Partners in conflict

It would be improper for me not to include what America´s CNN had to say about the entire affair. Their headline under the above photograph read: Did Turkish Jet Enter Syrian Airspace?…………this was certainly a rather pathetic title when one considers just how far inside Syrian airspace this aircraft was……no doubt  Leon Panetta and Hilary Clinton where possibly hoping for yet another “False Flag” incident to justify bringing NATO into the fray!! 

I guess the closing headline must come from the good old BBC who stated on their front page that Downed Turkish jet “may have strayed”……….whatever analysis comes out of this incident I am sure it will be used to add more fuel to the existing fire at the United Nations in their attempt to impose yet another Libyan style “No fly zone” in the name of humanity. However one must not compare the two as Syria is a totally different ball game with much more at stake and could bring additional strikes against targets within Lebanon and Palestine with dire consequences should the west initiate such action. 

 

Peter Eyre – Middle East Consultant – 23/6/2012