Erdogan raises the tone and warns of Israeli takeover of Palestinian land
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened another front in his belligerent international stance by warning of Israel's aspirations for annexation of part of the West Bank. He pointed out that "no one can take Palestine's land"; thus generating controversy, drawing attention to Israel's political enemy and inflaming the mood in the Arab and Muslim community.
In this regard, the Turkish leader reiterated his nation's support for Palestine just as the Muslim world celebrated Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Erdogan especially wanted to congratulate the American Muslims on this holiday on behalf of the Ottoman citizens and included his latest political outburst.
"We will not allow the Palestinian lands to be offered to anyone else," said Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a message broadcast on the social network Twitter and addressed to the Muslim community. In this way, he pointed out that no one can usurp these lands considered to be part of Palestine and that Turkey will certainly not let this happen. This has been seen as a threat and a further escalation of tension in the Middle East.
“I would like to reiterate that al-Quds Al-Sharif, the holy site of three religions and our first kiblah, is a red line for all Muslims worldwide,” Erdoğan said, referring to the al-Aqsa mosque, also known by Jews as the Temple Mount, and home to the Christian Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Turkish president added: "Last week we witnessed that a new occupation and annexation project, which disregards Palestine’s sovereignty and international law".
Erdogan is once again attacking Israel diplomatically. Already last December, he insisted that Turkey is a victim of "terrorist attacks" because of its "principled stand" against "oppression in Jerusalem. He also stated at the time that Turkey is today the "only voice" of the Palestinians, as Israel News recalled.
Precisely, Recep Tayyip Erdogan also spoke with the President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, to reiterate his support for what they consider the constant threat of the axis formed by the United States and Israel. Both the Ottoman and Palestinian leaders discussed Turkey- Palestine relations and regional developments. During the telephone conversation, the Turkish leader expressed his country's continued support for Palestine in all areas, according to TRT. A Palestine that continues to suffer the economic blockade by Israel, justified to act against formations such as the jihadist Hamas.
This is the reaction of the 'sultan' to the announcement made by Israel that it intends to annex areas of the West Bank on July 1st, as arranged by the new government of the Hebrew Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in coalition with Benny Gantz. The application of Israeli sovereignty over 30% of Zone C of Judea and Samaria could start next July 1st, according to the new coalition agreement of the Israeli Executive.
This plan by Israel unleashed indignation in the Arab world and provoked rejection in part of the international community, with harsh condemnation by Turkey; all this after the US had supported it. Donald Trump's government has already included this seizure of West Bank territories in the so-called Deal of the Century, which was intended to solve the problem between Israelis and Palestinians. A plan that did not receive international support and was repudiated by the Arab world.
The controversial peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict presented by the Trump Administration included the creation of a Palestinian state, but with limited sovereignty, the annexation of part of the occupied West Bank and a Palestinian capital in a small, peripheral area of East Jerusalem. The main thrust of the proposal was to establish Palestinian enclaves with limited capacity for independence, located between Israeli settlements, under the promise of stopping the construction of new Jewish settler settlements in the West Bank.
In addition, it provided for Israel to keep the Jordan Valley and Jerusalem and its holy sites, giving Palestinians the possibility of locating the capital of their future State in a special area of the Holy City between Abu Dis and eastern Shuafat, areas already segregated by a concrete wall. In this way, the ultimate Palestinian aspiration would be to move its capital city and the seats of its official institutions to the periphery of East Jerusalem.
The White House plan also called on the Palestinian leadership to renounce the claim to the territories that Israel annexed after the 1948 conflict, making it clear that no Palestinian refugee will be granted the right to return to Israeli territory. On the other hand, the Palestinians were also required to establish a reliable administration, because Donald Trump's offer included a line of money for investment in Palestinian territory when the new state was established. An amount of $50 billion was earmarked for the implementation of the new Palestinian State entity. This was considered a great argument by the American president to convince the Palestinians, but it has been proved that he was not right.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues his belligerent strategy on the international level. He is now entering the Palestinian conflict strongly, after having challenged part of the international community with his war campaigns in Syria and Libya. In the Arab country he has occupied areas of the Turkish-Syrian border with the excuse of persecuting the Kurds, whom he accuses of carrying out terrorist actions in southern Turkey, and to do so he uses support from within the jihadist world and from the rebel pole that fights against the regime of Bachar al-Asad, which is supported by Vladimir Putin's Russia and which is trying to put an end to the last insurgent stronghold of Idlib. In Libya, Erdogan associated himself with the Government of National Accord (GNA) of Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj against the National Army of Libya of Marshal Jalifa Haftar, who seeks to finish with the bastion of the GNA in Tripoli with the intention of materializing later a democratic process, alleging that jihadist terrorist elements also take refuge there (precisely Turkey sent to Libya Syrian mercenaries in salary linked to former branches of terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda, according to different media).
The Arab world, on the other hand, reacted harshly against the US and Israeli plans for the West Bank, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken advantage of this to fan the flame of confrontation and to draw even closer to countries that now serve as his allies, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, another great enemy of Israelis and Americans and another nation that has been accused of endangering the security of the Middle East with attacks on cargo ships in Gulf waters and offensives against oil and airport interests in Saudi Arabia, a US ally and representative of the Sunni branch of Islam, as opposed to the Shiite one sponsored by the ayatollahs' regime.
In a recent phone call, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hassan Rohani, Iran's president, discussed cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 disease, as well as bilateral ties and regional issues, according to the Turkish news agency Anadolu, referring to an official statement.
The Republic of Turkey Directorate of Communications said the Turkish president and his Persian counterpart also exchanged views on bilateral relations and hot topics in the region, including, of course, the Palestinian conflict.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's anti-Israeli stance did not prevent a plane from the Israeli El Al cargo aircraft from landing in Turkey on Sunday to collect humanitarian aid and equipment needed for the U.S. fight against the coronavirus, as announced by the Israeli Embassy in Turkish territory.
With this contradictory position, the Turkish president risked accusations of a certain hypocritical stance when he denounced Israel's expansionist intention in Palestine while allowing the Israeli airline to resume cargo flights between Tel Aviv and Istanbul.
The first flight of this kind in 10 years landed in the Turkish capital on Sunday morning to collect humanitarian aid and protective equipment for US medical teams fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, Arab News reported this month that Turkey is in controversial talks with Israel over mutually beneficial maritime borders in the Mediterranean Sea. Erdogan is thus playing a difficult political role, according to several analysts. “I think Turkey is trying to create economic ties with Israel because the political benefits of blockade and isolation have weakened,” said Ryan Bohl, a Middle East analyst with the geopolitical risk company Stratfor. "But at the same time, they do want to keep some of that tradition of sympathy for Palestine alive for those remaining supporters who still prize the issue" he said.