(Presidency Press Service/Pool Photo via AP)Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, prior to their meeting in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia.
Turkey views the normalization process as a potential diplomatic lever that could encourage Israel to adopt more ‘strategic and regionally cooperative policies’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has voiced his support for recent initiatives aimed at normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia during a closed-door briefing in New York, Middle East Eye reported on Tuesday.
Erdogan reportedly expressed Turkey’s positive view of these efforts when responding to a question posed during the meeting.
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A Turkish source, reportedly familiar with Ankara’s stance, was quoted saying that Turkey supports efforts to reduce tensions in the region, with the position being a continuation of its broader foreign policy.
The source, quoted by Middle East Eye, indicated that Turkey views the normalization process as a potential diplomatic lever that could encourage Israel to adopt more “strategic and regionally cooperative policies.”
Office of the Presidency of TurkeyIsrael’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen (L) meets with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
The report suggested that such an agreement could positively influence Israel’s leadership, potentially prompting a more constructive approach to addressing the Palestinian question. This, in turn, might contribute to reduced tensions between Turkey and Israel, particularly regarding Israeli actions related to the Palestinian territories.
AP Photo/Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via APThis combination of file photos shows Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Russia.
Recent reports had indicated a pause in talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel due to concerns about the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud attends a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, September 19, 2023. (Caitlin Ochs/Pool via AP)
The Saudi foreign minister tells the UN General Assembly that a solution must be expedited for the Palestinians for the sake of Middle East security.
“The stability of the region rests on a just and comprehensive solution for the Palestinian cause… and the establishment of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Faisal bin Farhan says in his address.
The comment comes amid increased talk about a potential historic normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, with Riyadh said to demand Israeli concessions to Palestinians that nevertheless fall short of giving them an independent state.
Bin Farhan adds on the subject of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that his country “rejects and condemns all the unilateral steps that constitute a blatant violation of international laws and which contribute to the collapse of regional and international peace efforts and are hindering the path of diplomatic solutions.”
However, he doesn’t directly mention Israel or the normalization efforts during his address.
Israel reportedly sent a diplomatic representative to the General Assembly hall even though the speech is on Shabbat.
Published: SEPTEMBER 23, 2023 00:30Palestinian fighters from the armed wing of Hamas take part in a military parade to mark the anniversary of the 2014 war with Israel, near the border in the central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023.(photo credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)
Qassem said, “Netanyahu practiced a state of unprecedented bullying against our Palestinian people in his speech, as a result of the normalization agreements that were concluded, or those that are underway to be concluded.”
“Netanyahu’s mention of the positive effects of normalization confirms that this path only achieves the interests of the occupation, and constitutes a real threat to the Palestinian cause,” he added.
Hamas called for a boycott of the Israeli “occupation” during this period of increasing normalization between Israel and Arab states.
“Hamas movement has called on Arab and Muslim countries, along with the free peoples of the world, to continue to reject normalization of ties with the Israeli occupation.” read the statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/BRENDAN MCDERMID)
Oncoming normalization
This comes after Foreign Minster Eli Cohen announced during an interview with Israeli broadcaster KAN News that six or seven Muslim nations will join Saudi Arabia in making peace with Israel.
The nations are expected to come from both Africa and Asia.
“I’m telling you, I have met with several officials from Muslim nations with which Israel does not share formal ties,” said Cohen
