Hurriyet published an article by Murat yetkin headlined 'Turkey played down the Iraq incident, because...' and devoted to Turkey's relations with Iraq. “Turkey ignored some aspects of the Iraq incident because we want to keep our relations with Iraq going,” Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said during a coffee break at the Caspian Forum meetings by the Bosphorus," the article begins.
"Ankara believes that a way is going to be found to mend ties between Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey and his Iraqi counterpart, Nouri al-Maliki. Actually, the fact that al-Maliki has invited Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu to Baghdad is seen as a move to get on the nerves of Erdoğan but also to show that the move is not against Turkey but is only designed to force a settlement," the article reads.
"Even if everything goes as desired and Baghdad and Arbil reach an agreement over the sharing of oil and gas revenues, there is still a problem regarding the extraction and flow of oil from the KRG via Turkey; that is the presence of the military headquarters in the same region of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been carrying out an armed campaign against Turkey claiming more than 40,000 lives over the last three decades," the author writes.
The Jerusalem Post published an article by Reuven Ben-Shalom headlined 'A sad, sad day.' The article was devoted to the recent recognition of palestine as a non-member state by the UN.
"I was hoping that the Palestinian leader would talk of reconciliation and peace. Instead I heard venomous words constructing a twisted and hateful agenda filled with false accusations," the article reads.
"Listening to Abbas, I realized that he is not seeking reconciliation. It seems that he wishes to achieve internationally imposed statehood, as a phase in realizing the ultimate vision of annihilating the Jewish state," the author writes.
"So what did sadden me most that day? It was the thought that Palestinian children were listening to the speech and believing every word. It conformed to the horrific incitement they receive at school, glorifying suicide bombers and preaching the destruction of Israel. The Palestinian education system promotes and perpetuates hate and violence, not reconciliation and coexistence."
"Is there still a chance for peace? The conclusion should be pessimistic, but I must say yes. Hoping and striving for peace is a moral calling for us. But peace will only be achieved if the Palestinians, as a united entity, accept the course history has taken and relinquish their dream of possessing the entire land. They must renounce terror as a means of promoting their goals, stop the incitement and commence direct negotiations with Israel," the article reads.
"Even if all this does occur, a peace agreement must incorporate robust mechanisms and guarantees for Israel’s security, for our very existence is at stake. The last thing we need is another Iranian forward-operating- base at our door step."
"On November 29, I realized that peace is further away from us than ever before, but we cannot lose hope. I would say to my Palestinian neighbors: We have both suffered the horrors of war. We should let go of the past, for we have a moral obligation to build a better future," the author concludes.
