Turkey announced on Saturday, November 4, the recall of its ambassador from Tel Aviv for consultations due to Israel’s refusal to accept a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel’s ambassador to Turkey left the country two weeks ago amid pro-Palestinian demonstrations and President Erdogan’s increasingly vicious speeches against the Jewish state. However, Turkish diplomacy remains active. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is currently on a tour of the Middle East, is visiting Turkey on Sunday and Monday.
Published on: April 11, 2023 – 7:49 p.m
2 minutes
With our correspondent in Istanbul, Anne Andlauer
Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to speak out, but remains pragmatic and convinced that his country can and must play a role in ending hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
On the one hand, the Turkish president declares that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is no longer his “interlocutor” – “I deleted him,” he assures. On the other hand, he would like to point out that the head of Turkish intelligence, Ibrahim Kalin, continues to communicate with Israel and Hamas and that it is “impossible to completely break off relations with Israel.”
Another important player in this Turkish diplomacy in the Middle East is Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan – until recently head of the secret service. During his visit he will meet his American counterpart Antony Blinken.
Although its efforts so far have been in vain – on the issue of hostages or a ceasefire – Ankara is not giving up on acting together with others as a mediator to put an end to the violence in Gaza. In the longer term, Turkey is prepared to play a “guarantor state role” for the Palestinian side as part of a negotiated and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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