Turkey vs. Israel?

Akiva has an interesting post up called The Flotilla and Biblical Prophecy that tells us of a possible confrontation with the Turkish navy and also tells about how this could be fulfilling Yehezkel 38-39.

I had an English teacher in 8th grade (in the mid-80s) who listed the 4 most-powerful militaries in the world at the time:

U.S.
U.S.S.R.
Israel
Turkey

and the reason given for Turkey is "because they fight like sons of @#!$%es".

I happen to be a Jew of Turkish ancestry. 2 of my 4 grandparents were born in Turkey. I have much Hakarat Hatov to Turkey for the way they took in the Jews from Ferdinand and Isabella's (ימ"ש) Spain and how they've treated Jews relatively well throughout the centuries.

All that goodwill is now going down the drain. And it was hardly sudden - it's been a steady process. The Erdogan-Peres spat, the Ayalon thing which was prompted by an anti-Semitic Turkish TV show - they've all been leading up to this. Relations with Israel is now in the garbage after they recalled their ambassador, and now, they want to have their navy escort another flotilla.

I'm embarrassed and abhorred at the behavior of my grandparents' country toward the country of my ancestral homeland.

And then again, I'm hopeful for the future. No, I don't expect relations to improve, but I'm hopeful for the Geula.

In a previous post, I mentioned how the Talmidei Hagr"a have reportedly said in the Gr"a's name that when Russian ships cross Turkey's Bosporus Strait, we need to start wearing Shabbat clothes (to prepare for Mashiah). However, I also showed there that what may have been assumed to be part of Russia is in fact part of Turkey.

Looking at the various interpretations for who the countries mentioned in Yehezkel 38 are, one can see that pretty much all of them include Turkey or part of Turkey as at least one of the countries that goes against Israel.

I say I'm hopeful because I know the eventual outcome, but I hope and pray that it will be as painless as possible with as much Rahamim as possible.