On Saturday, January 6, 2024, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Turkey has expressed its commitment to playing “a positive, productive” role for postwar Gaza (Associated Press). Why is Secretary Blinken confident that Turkey will play “a positive, productive” role in postwar Gaza? Let’s look at the comments made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after Israel was attacked by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 to see if we can find any clues.
- “We call for restraint from all parties. . . They must refrain from aggressive acts.” (Al Jazeera October 7, 2023)
- “Hamas is not a terrorist organization, it is a liberation group, mujahideen waging a battle to protect its lands and people.” (Jewish Telegraphic Agency, October 25, 2023)
- “Israel, we will proclaim you as a war criminal to the world. . . We are making our preparations, and we will declare Israel to the world as a war criminal.” (Associate Press, October 28, 2023)
- “Israel is an occupier. . . The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West.” (Al Jazeera, October 28, 2023)
- “Once all of this that is happening is finished, we want to see Gaza as a peaceful region that is a part of an independent Palestinian state, in line with 1967 borders, with territorial integrity, and with East Jerusalem as its capital.” (Reuters, November 4, 2023)
- “Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. We have written him off.” (Al Arabiya News, November 4, 2023)
- “With the savagery of bombing the civilians it forced out of their homes while they are relocating, it is literally employing state terrorism. I am now saying, with my heart at ease, that Israel is a terror state. We will never shy away from voicing the truth about Hamas members protecting their lands, honor, and lives in the face of occupation policies are resistance fighters, just because some people are uncomfortable with it.” (Foundation for Defense of Democracies, November 15, 2023)
- “Beyond being a war criminal, Netanyahu, who is the butcher of Gaza right now, will be tried as the butcher of Gaza. . .” (Reuters, December 4, 2023)
- “They used to speak ill of Hitler. What difference do you have from Hitler? They are going to make us miss Hitler. Is what this Netanyahu is doing any less than what Hitler did? It is not. He is richer than Hitler, he gets the support from the West. All sorts of support comes from the United States. And what did they do with all this support? They killed more than 20,000 Gazans.” (Al Jazeera, December 27, 2023)
Based on Erdogan’s incendiary comments against Israel and Netanyahu, why would Blinken believe Turkey can play “a positive, productive” role for postwar Gaza? Erdogan has made his position clear since October 7th:
- Hamas is a legitimate liberation group not a terrorist organization.
- Israel an occupier and does not have a legitimate right to exist.
- Hamas was justified in attacking innocent Israeli citizens on October 7th.
- The West, not Hamas, is to blame for the terrorist attack on October 7th.
- Israel must turnover East Jerusalem to the Palestinians.
- Israel is committing crimes against humanity as it seeks to protect itself from future attacks by Hamas.
- Adolf Hitler is morally superior to Benjamin Netanyahu.
Again I ask, why is Secretary Blinken confident that Turkey will play “a positive, productive” role in postwar Gaza? How could Erdogan possibly broker peace when he has clearly taken the side of Hamas?
Please join me in praying for the leaders of the United States and for the peace of Israel.
By His grace,
Dr. Matthew Dodd, Executive Director