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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is stepping up efforts to play a more prominent role in the Gaza conflict. On April 20, Erdogan hosted the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in a meeting.
The latest meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was an attempt to quell domestic criticism over his complicated stance on the war. The Turkish leader has maintained trade ties with Israel while at the same time condemning Israel's war against Hamas.
"To convince conservative voters that there is no such thing as a hypocritical approach, Turkey can be offered as a potential candidate country to host Hamas if Qatar decides to expel the group's members from the country ," says Selin Nasi. from the "London School of Economics".
Turkey wants to play a wider role in resolving the conflict in Gaza. Observers say Ankara sees an opportunity for this in reports that Qatar may expel the militant group.
In his bid to increase Turkey's role as mediator in Gaza, Mr. Erdogan has stepped up diplomatic efforts with Egypt, most recently hosting Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
Relations between Turkey and Egypt have warmed after several years of tensions, and analysts say there is room for cooperation.
"Both countries are very active in the rhetorical space regarding the deep pity shown for the Palestinians in Gaza. At the same time, they maintain their commercial, diplomatic and security ties with Israel," says Jalel Harchaoui of the Royal United Services Institute in London.
But analysts say President Erdogan's public attacks on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu limit Turkey's ability to play a mediating role on the conflict.
"The government must moderate its tone, it must improve the dialogue with Israel, because as it is currently, Turkey is no longer perceived as an impartial third party that can play the role of a mediator. Instead of supporting Hamas, Turkey should move to a more balanced position," says Selin Nasi, of the London School of Economics.
President Erdogan this month blamed Iran and Israel for the rise in tensions, temporarily halting his approach of criticizing Israel alone. Analysts say Turkey's close ties to Hamas could counter Iran's influence in the group.
Observers see President Erdogan's relations with Hamas as the factor behind the postponement of a planned visit to Washington in May, which he said was not happening due to coordination issues.
"With the dramatic scenes we are seeing in Gaza, Erdogan would have felt compelled to put it at the top of the agenda for the talks. I don't think the White House is in that position to host a world leader who would criticize the United States' stance on Gaza on camera for many reasons, including internal difficulties related to this issue," says Asli Aydintasbas of the Institute. Brookings” in Washington.
But despite the postponement of President Erdogan's visit, both Washington and Ankara say they remain committed to high-level cooperation./ VOA
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