Turkish Navy to break Gaza Blockade

Hopefully we won't have to find out.

In a purely naval conflict, Turkey would come out on top (though isn't the IDF's sub capability closely guarded?).

However, when trying to brake a Jewish blockade, in a scenario in which shore based forces and air power come into play, I am confident in the Jewish ability.

Israel has pretty good air power, the importance of which in a naval conflict was proven quite nicely in WWII.

Does Turkey have any Naval or AF bases in Turkish Cyprus?

I don't know. However, Israel in no way has to take a potential fight out of their territory, and if the Turkish AF wants to come on over and play with the IAF, well, that'll be just that many fewer Muslims in the world.

So should NATO support a member or the client state of one of the members?

NATO at its heart was supposed to be a mutual DEFENSE pact. If the Turks want to go bust on Israel, it should be "YOYO". "You're on your own, baby!"

Taken further, this is just another illustration of the fact that NATO is an outmoded treaty that needs to be ended.

As much as I dislike agreeing with you, I must, in this instance. With the first part of your argument only, however. Although the Israeli Navy is modern, it is quite small in both the numerical sense, and the size of it's craft. The Israeli's have 3 modern, german built and paid for submarines, and a little over a dozen Corvette type surface ships. The Turkish navy has 17 frigates(the bulk of which are modern MEKO 2000 type frigates, American supplied Perry class Frigates, and a single Vietnam era Knox class frigate.), 14 modernized type 209 submarines, 7 Corvette type ships and 28 fast attack missile boats. The Turkish military is far more capable than many think, remember that the current Israeli military has very little combat experience(as far as a sustained campaign against a well organized force, not local insurgency operations), far less than their predecessors. Turkey isn't Syria or Lebanon, or even Egypt. Just sayin.

Not to my knowledge. There was talk in 2005 of a Turkish air base there, but I don't think anything ever came of that. Cyprus is a hot potato between NATO allies Greece and Turkey....and no one wants to handle it. You knew that already, though.

Turkey has got 90 nuclear bombs in the country, 40 of which are allocated for use by the Turkish Air Force. I doubt they'll simply give them back if asked, if it came to that.

Again, Turkey does not actually possess nuclear weapons.

Oh, there are nuclear weapons in Turkey but they belong to the United States military. Do you really think Turkey would be able to use them without the consent of the United States of America?

Not only that but without the codes from America the weapons are essentially useless.

And God help them if we try to take the nukes out of the country and they prevent it and take them into their possession. That's an invasion right there because we aren't going to let some country take 90 of our nukes without one serious fight.

Fair enough, but that's a crux right there. What would happen if Israel were to use a nuclear weapon on a NATO member with 90 bombs on their soil? Would that be "sufficient grounds for retaliation"?

However, dickwaving aside, this is the bottom line. Turkey is threatening to do this, and they might well do ths, because they can. Israel would never risk an actual military conflict with Turkey, who would destroy them in a conventional war, who is a NATO member, when the alternative to defeat would be to become the second country on Earth to eve have used a nuclear device in warfare. Which would surely mean the end of Israel as we know it.

Israel would be pretty insane to even consider nuking Turkey. For about the tenth time, there is no reason strategically, legally, or morally to compel Israel from expanding this fight beyond its own territorial waters. Even the anti-semite UN has called the blockade legal- combating any attempt to break it in their own waters is simply self-defense.

Yep. This was a mistake by Turkey. With the blockade declared legal by the UN, there is nothing to gain by doing this.

Turkey dun goofed.

What's all this about Turkey getting to attack someone and then call on its alliance for help? I'm pretty sure that's not how it goes - NATO is a defensive alliance, not a pick a fight and then call your buddies thing.

And then there's this.

The man who could trigger a world war

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I would think the question "who is the aggressor?" would play a part in that decision.

Not trying to be an alarmist and perveyor of conspiracy plots but was this intentional on the part of the administration or mearly a shortsightedness as the article tries to paint this?

The state department had to know full good and well what the score was, I just wonder what they hoped to accomplish by allowing this man to come to power given his track record and where they expected this to lead.

While I was in Israel I heard a different motivation behind the flotilla: to cause Israel to overreact and embarrass it. This explains why Israel will not apologize for excessive force.

It's substantiated by the fact that the whole exercise of trying to break the Gaza blockade with big ships is a non-starter: Gaza has no ports. It's coastline is all beach. Looking at it in Google Maps, its largest pier or dock is maybe 60 feet long, and there is no 2nd-largest. So where, exactly, is the "aid" going to go?

Turkey increasingly seems to be the most positive force in the region. Their government has a lot of respect among the populations too.

Yet when America goes to war, we're all supposed to bring the potato salad?
Look how pissy y'all got at France for not joining the stomping of Iraq when Bush and co. had the whim.

The most amazing thing is that as dumb and stupid as your posts are, you can always sink to a worse level in terms of ow wrong and stupid you cam be. Your virulent anti-semitic hatred of Israel has led you to praise the country that is now most likely to trigger a major regional war. Do you think your butt buddies the Pally's are going to be better off?

Wrong. Again. There are certainly valid grounds to criticize Israel. However, to make the statement Rick made regarding a country that is the major threat to peace and is threatening military action against israel for an action ruled legal by the UN makes no logical sense. It only makes sense in the context of hatred for israel. Since Rick has a long history of unbalanced hatred of Israel, the anti-Semitic accusation is certainly a strong possibility.

One might also note that despite turkey's increasing illegal threats against Israel, the Israelis have not tamped up the rhetoric. Yet to the Retard Turkey is great.

Oh, and one must point out the unbelievable hypocrisy of the "positive Turkey" in defending the rights of the Pally's while butchering and oppressing the Kurds in their own country. Brings a whole new meaning to the word "positive force.".