The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, criticized Israel harshly earlier this week for harming civilians in Gaza, including "newborn babies,” and said al-Aqsa is a red line for Muslims. Although Erdogan has already made many such comments in the past in the context of Israel's military operations in Gaza, as well as when tensions rose in Jerusalem, this statement comes in contrast to his relative restraint during Ramadan of this year. At the same time, compared to the Turkish response to Operation Guardian of the Walls, when Erdogan mobilized Turkish government mechanisms against Israel, this time the response was relatively limited, with a brief statement by Erdogan in a speech on other international issues and two announcements by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The concern that an operation in Gaza would bring about a new crisis in Israel-Turkey relations was in fact one of the reasons for Israel's hesitation in responding to normalization proposals from the Turkish side over the past two years. For his part, Erdogan, despite his condemnation of Israel, did not question or doubt the process of improving relations with Israel, which he also presented as a way to reflect the Turkish position toward Israelis and thereby protect the rights of the Palestinians.
Erdogan's statement can be explained as follows:
First, Turkey’s traditional and social media abounded with difficult images from Gaza, and in his rhetoric Erdogan expressed the broad empathy of the Turkish public for the Palestinians. The issue of Jerusalem and the fate of the Gaza Strip are issues in which Erdogan has invested heavily in the past decade and to which he feels a special connection and responsibility. In his eyes, any heating up in these arenas requires a response, which also benefits him in the internal arena.
Second, as far as Erdogan is concerned, the benefits of normalization with Israel perhaps do not match his expectations so far – neither the lack of sufficient support by Israel for Turkey's positions in Washington, nor the (non)realization of Erdogan's hope of building a gas pipeline between Israel and Turkey.
Despite Erdogan's current statement, the fact the operation in Gaza was very short will likely moderate its effects on the relations between the countries. The newly announced appointment of an Israeli economic attaché to Turkey and the growth in Turkish export to Israel and Israeli tourism to Turkey suggest the Turkish President also has reason for satisfaction.
The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, criticized Israel harshly earlier this week for harming civilians in Gaza, including "newborn babies,” and said al-Aqsa is a red line for Muslims. Although Erdogan has already made many such comments in the past in the context of Israel's military operations in Gaza, as well as when tensions rose in Jerusalem, this statement comes in contrast to his relative restraint during Ramadan of this year. At the same time, compared to the Turkish response to Operation Guardian of the Walls, when Erdogan mobilized Turkish government mechanisms against Israel, this time the response was relatively limited, with a brief statement by Erdogan in a speech on other international issues and two announcements by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The concern that an operation in Gaza would bring about a new crisis in Israel-Turkey relations was in fact one of the reasons for Israel's hesitation in responding to normalization proposals from the Turkish side over the past two years. For his part, Erdogan, despite his condemnation of Israel, did not question or doubt the process of improving relations with Israel, which he also presented as a way to reflect the Turkish position toward Israelis and thereby protect the rights of the Palestinians.
Erdogan's statement can be explained as follows:
First, Turkey’s traditional and social media abounded with difficult images from Gaza, and in his rhetoric Erdogan expressed the broad empathy of the Turkish public for the Palestinians. The issue of Jerusalem and the fate of the Gaza Strip are issues in which Erdogan has invested heavily in the past decade and to which he feels a special connection and responsibility. In his eyes, any heating up in these arenas requires a response, which also benefits him in the internal arena.
Second, as far as Erdogan is concerned, the benefits of normalization with Israel perhaps do not match his expectations so far – neither the lack of sufficient support by Israel for Turkey's positions in Washington, nor the (non)realization of Erdogan's hope of building a gas pipeline between Israel and Turkey.
Despite Erdogan's current statement, the fact the operation in Gaza was very short will likely moderate its effects on the relations between the countries. The newly announced appointment of an Israeli economic attaché to Turkey and the growth in Turkish export to Israel and Israeli tourism to Turkey suggest the Turkish President also has reason for satisfaction.