Israel likewise could recognized Armenian Holocaust and be treated to a whining diplomatic note from Turkey and that would be it. The only reason that Israel did not do it that I can see is a degree of antipathy toward Armenians in some sectors of Israel.

It is also interesting to note that alleged “alternative allies”, Greece and Cyprus, promised to support Palestinian bid for UN membership. Israeli government reminds me the following German joke: a driver on an autobahn listens to his car radio, and hears a warning: “there is car on autobahn so-and-so that drives in the wrong direction” and thinks “it is not just one car, all cars that I see go in the wrong direction!”

If he’d apologized first thing, as any decent country would have, the crisis would have been averted.

Israel’s doctrine of disproportionate retaliatory force, which is a cornerstone of its expansionism-instead-of-peace strategy, is beginning to show its limitations. As long as the Palestinians and Lebanese bore the brunt of this doctrine, it was arguably effective. However, once it was implemented against Turks, its limitations — so obvious in hindsight – are clear. Coupled with what I would characterize as the best Israeli foreign minister the Palestinians have ever had (jeez – you couldn’t make Lieberman up in a million years), with his bull-in-a-China-shop ideology, the writing has been on the wall for some time now.

Israel relies on military power as its primary tactic in any confrontation, even when other options clearly exist. The fundamental lesson history teaches us is that power is, by its very nature, temporary, and that using force as your primary modus operandi, instead of as an extension of politics and diplomacy, is a loosing strategy.

Israel has conducted itself with total disregard for the opinion of anyone else, including its allies, for a very long time. It has allowed itself to be blinded by its self-perceived omnipotence (not unlike Mubarak). It has allowed its global position to erode, ignoring pleas for moderation from all of its friends and allies, while ignoring the warnings of its enemies. Together with the change in the world’s geopolitical balance of forces, in which Israel’s backers — the US and Western Europe – are loosing clout at the same time they are loosing patience with Israel’s antics, Israel is becoming much more of a liability than an asset.

While there is not doubt in my mind that the Turkish regime is no lover of humanity, as its policies vis-a-vis the Kurds show, it is using its support of the Palestinians for both internal and external gain. In addition, it is a member of in NATO, is a friend to Iran and Syria, and is a rising power in Europe.

If Turkey follows up its warnings with action on the legal and military fronts to curtail Israel’s politicidal intents vs the Palestinians, whatever its motivation, Israel would be ill advised to react with its standard policy of using disproportionate force.

Israel has had its warning. This could be serious.

And as far as what Turkey buys from Israel, you’re right to assume that it’s high-tech. I know at least that Turkey has a healthy compliment of Israeli UAVs.

The importance of pan-Islamism is a relatively recent development historically – say, the last 15 years or so – and if you remove that context being allays with a nation of Muslims doesn’t seem entirely wacky. Remember that Turkey is neither an Islamist or an Arab state, and given that both nations are fighting minorities seeking independence, until recently their similarities outstripped their differences.