NATO still considering Israeli participation in Active Endeavor despite Turkish veto

Madison Ruppert, Contributing Writer
Activist Post

An exclusive report from the Jerusalem Post was released which stated that Turkey had attempted to block inclusion of an Israeli naval vessel into the long-term NATO mission called Active Endeavor.

Officials reportedly told the Jerusalem Post that they had blocked the attempt in response to Israel’s raid of the Gaza flotilla in 2010 which resulted in the murder of nine Turks aboard the Mavi Marmara.

Ties between Turkey and Israel have been severely strained in recent years with Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2009, and the raid on the flotilla in 2010.

Despite the Turkish opposition, NATO announced on Friday that it is indeed still considering Israel’s request to contribute missile ships to Active Endeavor.

Active Endeavor was launched after the attacks of September 11, 2001 to patrol the Mediterranean Sea and share information regarding terrorism and suspicious vessels in the region.

Carmen Romero, NATO spokesperson, said that the Israeli offer is still being evaluated “according to NATO procedures and operation requirements,” according to Today’s Zaman.

Previously, Israeli military assets have participated in some NATO drills, but this would be the first instance of the Israeli military taking part in an actual military operation.

An anonymous Turkish official from the foreign ministry confirmed to Today’s Zaman that Turkey rejected Israel’s plan, confirming the Israeli news reports.

Israel’s participation in NATO has been increasing, and I see it as part of the greater effort to broaden the influence of NATO to include countries across the world as a part of the undeclared initiative aimed at encircling Russia, China and all the other nations which refuse to play ball with the West like Iran, Syria and North Korea.

I have been detailing this trend, which I find quite troubling, in my series, “U.S. and NATO are on the march worldwide,” and if Israel is allowed to participate in NATO military operations, this would just be a further expansion of NATO.

I honestly think it is quite unlikely that NATO will reject the Israeli proposal, even though they should if Turkey actually vetoes the proposal.

However, I think Turkey’s veto might be somewhat theatrical in nature, given their previous statements regarding the prevention of another Mavi Marmara incident, which they never actually followed through with.

I honestly believe this might be posturing on the part of Turkey in an attempt to keep some legitimacy in the eyes of the Muslim world, but this remains to be seen. This will be an interesting development in the sometimes confusing and seemingly contradictory multilateral relations between Israel, the West and Turkey.

This article first appeared at EndtheLie.com. Read other contributed articles by Madison Ruppert here.

Madison Ruppert is the Editor and Owner-Operator of the alternative news and analysis database End The Lie and has no affiliation with any NGO, political party, economic school, or other organization/cause. He is available for podcast and radio interviews. Madison also now has his own radio show on Orion Talk Radio from 8 pm — 10 pm Pacific, which you can find HERE.  If you have questions, comments, or corrections feel free to contact him at [email protected]