December 21, 2023
Welcome back to Al-Monitor’s Turkey Briefing.
This week we are exploring Ankara’s pitch to play a mediating role in a facilitating Palestinian reconciliation following a fresh, largely unnoticed push in that direction earlier this week by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
We also unpack new details of recently intensified negotiations between Ankara and Washington over Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
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A Palestinian conference in Turkey?
Amid signs that Hamas' political wing and Fatah are exploring a reconciliation, Erdogan signaled that Turkey is in the loop on ongoing talks between the two rival Palestinian groups.
“[Hamas and Fatah] are in talks, and it is possible for them to take these talks further," Erdogan said. "I believe that there are many things that we, as Turkey, have done and can do on this issue,” the Turkish president was quoted as telling reporters on his return from Hungary, according to an official transcript released on Tuesday.
Describing the rival groups as being like “flesh and bone,” he said, “Right now, we need to strive to preserve this unity.”
Turkey is pursuing an initiative to gather senior members of Fatah and Hamas at an international conference, possibly in Istanbul, a source familiar with the issue told Al-Monitor, speaking on the condition of anonymity, and adding that the process is still in the early stages.
This development come after senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk last week told Al-Monitor's Elizabeth Hagedorn in Doha that the militant group was seeking to join the Palestine Liberation Organization, the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people. The major Palestinian factions, with the exception of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, belong to the umbrella group.
This is not the first time that a Fatah-Hamas meeting has been floated. Decades-long reconciliation efforts between the two groups have failed due to Hamas’ refusal to disarm, abide by Oslo-related agreements and recognize Israel.
Turkey has also sought to position itself as a mediator in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Yet, despite Ankara's successful mediation in international conflicts — most recently helping to negotiate a deal between Ukraine and Russia for cargo ships to traverse the Black Sea — its chances of playing a similar role between the Palestinians and Israelis appear slim. Erdogan is not seen as a neutral broker by Israel, especially after he called Hamas a “liberation group” following the group's Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Turkey considers itself to be better positioned when it comes to Palestinian reconciliation efforts. Erdogan, a leading champion of the Palestinian cause, is one of only a few regional leaders who maintains ties with both Hamas and Fatah leaders. In Ankara in July, Erdogan hosted a meeting with Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political leader, and Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah chairman and Palestinian Authority president, as part of a longtime effort to broker a reconciliation deal between their factions.
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Recommended reads
- Airport of spies? A Wall Street Journal article reminds me of Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed Cold War thriller "Bridge of Spies" as it sheds light on the hostage exchange that brought the release last year of former US Marine Trevor Reed from Russian captivity.
- For anyone curious about Turkey’s famed Bayraktar TB2 drones, check out this report by the Crisis Group on the risks and rewards of Turkey's growing drone industry.
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