Israel reached out to Turkey in recent weeks expressing willingness to receive its help in mediation efforts for a potential hostage deal with Hamas in Gaza.
Despite repeated denials from senior Israeli and White House officials, U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned in his speech on Tuesday regarding the cease-fire in Lebanon that "over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza."
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Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
(Photo: Haim Goldberg/Flash90 REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas, Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Amid these discussions, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar completed a secret visit to Turkey about 10 days ago. A senior Israeli official clarified that Turkey wouldn't act as a mediator in the hostage deal but could exert pressure on Hamas, especially since some of its leadership recently relocated from Qatar to Istanbul.
A White House official similarly denied Turkey's direct involvement in Gaza. "I think President Biden was referring to the fact that certain parties involved are currently in Turkey, which brought it into the picture," according to the official. "This wasn’t to suggest that Turkey is mediating or negotiating. That said, we’ll leave no stone unturned in trying to make progress."
The inclusion of Turkey in these efforts is contentious within Israel's leadership, partly due to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s positions and actions since the war began. For example, President Isaac Herzog’s visit to the UN climate summit in Baku was recently canceled in part because Turkey refused to allow Herzog’s plane to fly over its airspace.
Erdogan, who claimed that Turkey had severed diplomatic ties with Israel two weeks ago though Jerusalem had not been formally notified, boasted about preventing Herzog’s plane from crossing Turkish airspace. "Turkey is committed to demonstrating its stance on several issues and we will do so," he said.
Since the war’s outbreak, Erdogan has frequently criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s policies in Gaza, following the October 7 massacre and the onset of the war.
Turkish parliament members calling for death to Israel
About a month into the war, Erdogan declared that "Israel is a terrorist state committing genocide in Gaza" and claimed that "Hamas is a party that won the elections in Palestine," even though the last elections held n Gaza took place in 2006 and Hamas took control of the territory in 2007 after clashes with Fatah.
In April, during a Turkish parliamentary session amid the ongoing war, chants of "Death to Israel" were heard from the gallery while Erdogan praised Hamas and in an unprecedented statement accused Israel of orchestrating attempted coups in Turkey over the past decades. "Hamas is a resistance movement, not a terrorist organization. Israel? It has surpassed Hitler,” he said.
Erdogan's rhetoric has continued in recent months. In September, he called on Muslim nations worldwide to unite against what he referred to as "the expansionist threat" of Israel in the Middle East, alleging that Israel seeks to conquer regional states.
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"Israel won’t stop at Gaza. After seizing Ramallah, it will target the lands of Syria and Lebanon," Erdogan asserted, further claiming that Israel might even aim to occupy Turkey.
"They’ll set their sights on our homeland, between the Tigris and Euphrates. That’s why we say 'Hamas resists on behalf of Muslims.' That’s why we say 'Hamas isn’t only defending Gaza but Islamic lands, including Turkey,'" he declared.