Brookings Aslı Aydıntaşbaş : The Sultan's Ghost: Erdogan and the Israeli -Palestinian conflict November 22, 2023

 

The sultan’s ghost: Erdoğan and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict | Brookings

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"RESEARCH

The sultan’s ghost: Erdoğan and the IsraeliPalestinian conflict

Aslı Aydıntaşbaş

November 22, 2023

Executive summary

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s scathing criticisms of Israel’s ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip are coupled with his defense of Hamas — and as such, is creating new complications for Turkey’s already difficult relations with Israel, the United States, and Europe.

Erdoğan increasingly describes the conflict in the Middle East in civilizational terms, a clash between “the crusader and the crescent,” and uses a narrative that combines neo-Ottomanism and Islamic solidarity. He has been able to convince a sizeable portion of Turkish society that the Israel-Palestinian conflict is central to Turkey’s global posture and regional ambitions.

Erdoğan’s reaction to Israel is both personal and ideological — and Ankara has the ability to amplify its criticism of Israel and the United States in the Global South and elevate the domestic pressures on Arab leaders to take a tougher position on Israel.

All of this makes Turkey a wild card and a policy challenge for the United States — one that needs to be managed and not just ignored.

Turkey wants a greater role in postwar humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts in Gaza and will maintain its criticism of Israel as long as the war continues. Erdoğan seems to have written off the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but is focused on playing a role in the region in the long run. The Biden administration has to identify ways to constructively manage its relations with Ankara and harness Turkey’s interest in the Palestinian cause in support of regional stability."