President Abbas and PM Netanyahu Hosted by Erdogan

An-Nahar, Lebanon, July 23

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has become a long-standing fixture in Turkish politics, serving multiple times as both party leader and head of state. His successful handling of an array of strategic challenges has demonstrated his deft political acumen. He has never shied away from taking a stand on behalf of Turkish interests, regardless of how divisive those positions may be, particularly towards Russia and the United States. His deft management of both regional and international affairs has accounted for substantial gains for Turkey. His eagerly anticipated upcoming invitation to both President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Turkey later this month surely reflects Turkey’s interests. Let’s first explore Turkey’s position in the region. Erdoğan has dedicated the early part of his presidential term to increasing Turkey’s presence as a positive force in the Arab, Islamic, and international communities. He has been criticized for his prior connections to armed groups, yet now seeks to present himself as a proponent of peace, security, and stability throughout the region. This is evidenced by Turkey’s military presence in both Syria and the Kurdistan region of Iraq. While the nature of Turkey’s presence remains contested, it’s widely theorized that these deployments are intended to protect Turkey’s security. Erdoğan stands out due to his ability to engage in dialogue with both Abbas and Hamas and other resistance movements. Not only can he facilitate communication between them, but he has also developed strong relationships with Iran, notwithstanding the US sanctions. Thus, Erdoğan is able to mediate and build constructive relationships between conflicting parties in the region. This has earned him admiration in the Middle East, from governments and citizens alike. Erdoğan has called for action by both Palestinian Authority President Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu given their respective difficult and critical positions. Abbas is increasingly becoming more politically irrelevant and his popularity is diminishing on a daily basis within the Palestinian Authority. This has been a concern for the Netanyahu government. Despite their motivations being rooted in fear of losing an important source of security and military cooperation for Israel, rather than in love for Palestine and its people, the Palestinian Authority attempted to prove itself effective by storming the Jenin refugee camp a week ago, arresting young resistance members. While the Palestinian Authority argued that this was done in an effort to prevent their assassination by occupation forces, Palestinians resisted and foiled the incursion. Netanyahu is facing a highly problematic internal political situation, fierce protests from within his own government, and strife among the Israeli army. This has gone beyond the point of military deterrence loss and rendered Israel powerless in the face of Hizbullah’s activity at the border of Lebanon. Some of these activities include setting up camps within the occupied Shebaa Farms, giving military training to Hizbullah fighters, and observing the tour of the Israeli chief of staff while he was inspecting army sites. All of this has created a precarious and exceptional situation. It is noteworthy that Erdoğan recently extended an invitation to Abbas and Netanyahu to meet in Ankara, following the telephone conversation between US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu. During the call, Netanyahu spoke of “promoting regional tranquility and fostering a constructive dialogue.” Has the responsibility of bolstering regional peace and security been given to Erdoğan? Without a doubt, Erdoğan’s invitation to Abbas and other members of the opposition to meet with Netanyahu has been done in accordance with the US government to rescue them from their predicament. Abbas plays a vital role for both Israel and the US; hence, safeguarding his position and preserving his power have become embroiled in America’s national security. Despite the current tensions between Netanyahu and the US administration, the Israeli prime minister has become something of a certainty in the region. All discrepancies and confrontations must be put aside to help the area escape its current struggle and critical political and military situation. This is especially pertinent given the two sides’ wishes for normalization with Saudi Arabia. In this context, how does Egypt view Turkey’s intervention in Palestinian-Palestinian reconciliation and the Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire? Everyone is aware of the role Egypt has played in relation to both scenarios, so how can Egypt guarantee that neither outgrow their control? The analysis confirms that the American administration played a pivotal role in encouraging everyone—Erdoğan, Abbas, and Egypt—to move forward with the noble goal of achieving peace through the convergence of Abbas and Netanyahu. Erdoğan’s efforts to prevent a deteriorating Turkish currency have, however, enabled him to cooperate within limits with the wishes of Western powers, namely the US, NATO, and Europe. Moreover, the US dollar—a force even stronger than the American administration—will continue to threaten Erdoğan’s position, and he is fully aware of this. Nonetheless, he continues to strive to protect the Turkish currency and economy, with the possibility that his endeavors may be a vain illusion. —Dr. Jawad Al-Hindawi, former ambassador of Iraq to Belgium (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)