(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - Col. (res.) Dr. Eran Lerman, who served from 2009 to 2015 at Israel's National Security Council, said the Turkish military move in Syria illustrates waning U.S. power and influence in the region. He said there was something "pathetic" about hearing Pentagon officials rebuking the Turks for taking their battle inside Syria to the Kurds, but then the Turks going ahead and doing whatever they want "regardless of American discomfort." "The will of the United States of America has rarely carried less weight than it does now in regional affairs. And that means that those of us who worry about regional stability have to work together for ourselves." He said Israel is "justifiably careful" not to take a position on whether a Kurdish state should be formed. Israel "does not want to give the Kurds' enemies the ability to say that this is something that we are fomenting....But we do have a sentiment and an affinity for people who stood and fought - and courageously - against Islamic State in the last few years, and I think it is not only morally, but strategically troubling, to see the Turks prioritizing a fight with the Kurds over their fight against ISIS."
2016-09-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive