Gaza and Turkish Politics

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israeli military operations in Gaza last week, and called UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to urge an international response. Erdogan has been a champion of the Palestinian cause for years, and in particular a champion of Hamas. But with Presidential elections coming up in August, Erdogan is also using the Palestinian cause to build up political support. 

Differentiating himself from Erdogan, the opposition candidate Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stated that Turkey should remain impartial in the Israeli-Palestinian issue. “If you pick a side in such a conflict, when they reconcile, you will become the bad guy. We must establish good relations with all sides in the Middle East,” he said. 

AKP deputies attacked Ihsanoglu, asserting that “not taking sides” was tantamount to taking Israel’s side in the conflict. They claimed that Ihsanoglu was trying to curry favor with Washington and anti-AKP groups like the Gulen movement. Erdogan himself criticized Ihsanoglu’s remarks, and expressed outrage at the notion of remaining “impartial.” 

Meanwhile, Turkey’s opposition parties are trying to walk a fine line. On the one hand, they wish to challenge the prime minister’s policies. On the other, many sympathize with the Palestinian plight. 

Notably, People’s Republican Party (CHP) deputy chair Faruk Logoglu said in a written statement on July 11 that the CHP unconditionally denounces “Israeli actions against innocent civilians, primarily women and children,” and accused Israel of “collective punishment.” But only days before, Logoglu challenged Erdogan’s AKP over reports that Saleh el-Arouri, a senior Hamas leader named as a suspect in the abduction and murder last month of three Israeli teenagers, resides in Turkey. Logoglu submitted a parliamentary question on behalf of his party, demanding an explanation from the Foreign Ministry. 

The CHP appears to be differentiating between Hamas the Palestinian people of Gaza. They understand that former is a militant group that should not have a presence in Turkey. But they also seek to lend support to the civilian population in Gaza. Compared to Erdogan’s populist stance on the Palestinians, this is not an easy political slogan to fit on an election poster. This nuance encapsulates the challenges that await the political opposition next month in Turkey’s presidential elections.