EU must tell US to stop for sake of peace in Middle East

The latest decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has stirred great controversy. Having solely undermined peace efforts in the Middle East with its policies and steps in the region over the past years, the U.S. marks yet another mistake with this decision.

As a result of policies the country pursued in Iraq and Syria over the past couple of years, the U.S. lost the opportunity to succeed in the fight against terrorism. Stability could not be enabled in Iraq, while the Syrian dictator who was to be overthrown is now about to ensure his power. Meanwhile, the Palestinian issue continues to be one of the greatest problems of humanity. Briefly, all the peoples of the Arab world are suffering profound agony. In Egypt, a dictator who has tried to oppress people with capital punishment is still agonizing his people with the support he has from the U.S. Also, what is happening in Lebanon is evident.

The fight against Daesh might not have been successful were it not for Iran, whom the U.S. tries to demonize for fictitious reasons. Now, Russia is playing a crucial role to achieve peace in the Middle East, whereas the EU damages itself by trying to impose unnecessary economic pressures on Russia due to U.S. demands. Thanks to the cooperation between Turkey, Russia and Iran, Iraq and Syria have a chance to overcome conflicts brought by civil war. Despite that, the U.S. provides all kinds of weapons and ammunition to the outlawed PKK's Syrian affiliate Democratic Union Party's (PYD) armed People's Protection Units (YPG), exacerbating the violence in the region. Not having found enough militants to use the armored vehicles and anti-aircraft weapons provided by the U.S., the PYD and the YPG placed children behind the wheels of these vehicles. Surely, the U.S. is responsible for this scandal.

Since Ankara opposes Washington's faulty policies in the Middle East, all kinds of attempts are made to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. As part of these schemes, the U.S. also protects those who organized the July 15 coup attempt, which claimed many lives.

The latest move in Israel poses a threat not only to the Middle East, but also to the entire world. I am sure every reasonable Israeli politician opposes this decision, which is untimely, unilateral and violates all UN decisions. Such a wrong decision will only bring new troubles to Israel and escalate tensions between Israel and Palestine.

The EU and EU countries have so far only remained mere spectators to the wrong policies of the U.S. However, the refugee challenge, which is the greatest problem the EU is currently confronting, is also the outcome of U.S. policies.

The U.S. is accountable for the majority of the refugees heading to the EU, who mostly come from the Middle East and Libya. I am sure there is no need to write about the significance of Jerusalem to the world. I am aware that European politicians are knowledgeable about the issues in the Middle East and Palestine and Israel, specifically. Nevertheless, I am surprised that they have not said anything against the faulty policies of the U.S. yet.

I am siding with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini's harsh and correct responses.

It is time for the EU to tell the U.S. to stop the frenzy. Hopefully, the European Parliament will also release a harsh response to the latest decision from the U.S. next week in Strasbourg.

The European Parliament and the parliaments of EU countries must prevent the Middle East from turning into a bloodbath again.