Israel’s attacks on May 8, 2021; In other words, his attacks against the Masjid al-Aqsa and the Palestinians on the Qadr Night drew great reaction. These attacks have once again brought the Palestinian Question to the agenda of the international public, and the aggression has been associated with the evangelical policies of the United States of America (USA).
Undoubtedly, there is nothing wrong with establishing such a connection. Because the regional strategy of the Washington administration is determinative in the brutal policies of Israel towards the Palestinians. At this point, the USA, which shaped its Middle East politics with the aim of ensuring Israel’s security, mediated the normalization process between Israel and Arab countries in the Gulf, especially during the Donald Trump period, and that the Great Middle East Project (BOP) was not shelved due to the Ibrahim Agreements; it only revealed that the method was changed. In this sense, scandalous decisions such as the US recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving its embassy here have been implemented.
Although the normalization moves in question are marketed to the world with a positive package under the name of “Deal of the Century”, it is possible to describe the American strategy as the “Conspiracy of the Century”. Because the process is not only for the Palestinian people; At the same time, it points to a conspiracy established against Turkey and Iran in the Middle East in particular and against the reality of “Rising Asia” in the global power struggle at the general level.
In this context, it is necessary to justify the argument that the USA has set up a conspiracy by opening discussion. The process of establishing diplomatic relations between Arab countries and Israel, which started with Egypt under the leadership of Enver Sadat on March 29, 1979 and continued with Jordan on October 26, 1994, transformed the normalization moves carried out under the coordination of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, into a leap in favor of Israel. Thus, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Sudan joined the caravan of states that have relations with Israel. Finally, in April 2021, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Ferhan, argued that “normalization of Israel’s position in the region” would be beneficial for the whole region in terms of economic, social and security, and revealed that Riyadh will also take normalization steps[1]. This reveals that the USA, which perceives the security of Israel as a priority issue in its regional policy, has reconciled the Arab countries in the Gulf with Israel.
The main point that pushes the Arab countries in the Gulf to a US-axis policy and directs them to Israel with the encouragement of the USA is the “Iran threat” phenomenon that these actors perceive through the Shiite-Sunni divide. While the USA, on the one hand, demonizes Iran by positioning it as the “other”; On the other hand, by paving the way for the “Iran threat”, it both sells weapons to Arab countries in the Gulf and increases the dependence of these countries on itself.
On the other hand, Turkey is the main actor that objects to Israel’s persecution of the Palestinian people. Ankara, which has not established diplomatic relations with the Tel-Aviv administration since the Mavi Marmara Attack on May 31, 2010, has been displaying an idealistic stance and defending the rights of the oppressed Palestinian people on various platforms, especially the United Nations (UN). As a matter of fact, against the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a draft was prepared by Turkey and Yemen about condemnation decision for Israel and it is accepted by overwhelming majority of the UN General Assembly in December 2017[2].
Briefly, Turkey is the main country in the international arena that resists the US’s attempts to legitimize Israeli aggression. The main dynamic that pushes Arab countries to the normalization process is the “Iranian expansionism” that is served by the USA. In this sense, it can be said that the attempts of the USA to legitimize Israeli aggression have built an alliance against Turkey and Iran in the region. More importantly, the events mentioned are not limited to the Middle East region. For example, some of the actors who decided to normalize with Israel assume responsibility within the “Siege from the South Strategy” against Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Despite all of these, Turkey’s close cooperation with Russia and Iran through the Astana Process has had a critical function in balancing American power in the Middle East. Moreover, this process is being taken to a more advanced stage with Turkey’s “Asia Anew Initiative”. Implementing a proactive policy through the said initiative, Turkey takes a central position in the Middle Corridor of the Belt-Road Project and increases its geopolitical importance day by day. In other words, Turkey gets not only with Iran and Russia due to its interest in Asia; It also gets closer to China, which challenges the USA in the global power struggle. This is why Ankara is not only in specifically the Middle East; reveals that it is in a quest to balance American power at the global level.
Unipolar with the Cooperation Action Plan in Eurasia signed with Russia on 16 November 2001; In other words, Turkey, which clearly shows that it rejects the order based on American hegemony, takes on a critical responsibility in the construction of the multipolar world through the “Asia Anew Initiative” and actually develops close relations with the Asian countries that constitute the weight of the global economy.[3] In this sense, it is significant that Israel attacked the Palestinians at a time when Turkey was in contact with Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which showed an important stance in overcoming the sieges imposed on it by increasing its friends. Even though Saudi Arabia and Egypt are states that are known for their closeness to the USA, they are discussing the purchase of S-400 Air Defense Systems from Russia[4], just like Turkey, and in fact put forward a geopolitical quest.
In this environment, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu acts like the “ram head” of the USA with the attacks on the Palestinians. Because the aggressive policies of the Netanyahu administration can undermine the process in which Turkey carries out a diplomacy to increase its friends. Therefore, at a time when Turkey was turning towards an Asia-centered balance of power against the US and making significant strides in neutralizing Israel, its regional ally with the US, in this balance of power, It can be also said that the rapprochement moves on the Ankara-Cairo and Ankara-Riyadh lines were sabotaged. But this aggression is also likely to backfire and trigger the rapprochement on the Ankara-Cairo-Riyadh line.
The rapprochement moves on the Ankara-Riyadh line may have been attempted to be sabotaged. But it is also possible that the aggression will backfire and trigger the rapprochement on the Ankara-Cairo-Riyadh line.
After the attacks in Jerusalem, another development showing that the issue is not limited to the Middle East is that the idea of sending international protection forces to the region came to the agenda in the meeting of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Russian President Vladimir Putin[5]. This idea shows that Moscow also agrees with Ankara that civilians should be protected against Israeli attacks. Therefore, Israel’s attitude, regional quests and global discussions centered on Asia once again reveal the importance of Jerusalem. At this point, the Palestine Question is not only for the Islamic World; It is necessary to turn it into a struggle in which all oppressed nations are in solidarity and to carry out diplomacy. In fact, this was the purpose of Turkey in the motion submitted to the UN General Assembly in December 2017. Therefore, the Palestinian Cause may be a key that increases the solidarity of the oppressed nations with the rise of Asia. On this occasion, the emergence of multipolarity in the global power struggle and the Asia-centered new world order, in which Turkey will be positioned as a pole, can create an international system in which Palestine takes its place as an independent and respected state. In this sense, Jerusalem can become a symbol of objection to American leadership.
[1] “Suudi Arabistan Dışişleri Bakanı Bin Ferhan: İsrail ile Normalleşme Tüm Bölge İçin Faydalı Olacak”, Anadolu Ajansı, https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/dunya/suudi-arabistan-disisleri-bakani-bin-ferhan-israil-ile-normallesme-tum-bolge-icin-faydali-olacak/2197142, (Date of Accession: 13.05.2021).
[2] Firas Elias, “Yüzyılın Tokadı”, ANKASAM, https://www.ankasam.org/yuzyilin-tokadi/, (Date of Accession: 13.05.2021).
[3] Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, “16 Kasım 2001’den 24 Kasım 2015’e Türk-Rus İlişkileri: “Avrasya’da İşbirliği”nden Yakın Çevrelerde Güç Mücadelesine Analitik Bir Bakış”, 2. Uluslararası Osmaneli Sosyal Bilimler Kongresi: Osmaneli’nden 21. Yüzyılı Okumak Bildiriler Kitabı, Murat Ercan vd., der., Bilecik 2016, s. 165-178
[4] “Hangi Ülkeler S-300 ve S-400 Sistemlerini Kullanıyor?”, Euronews, https://tr.euronews.com/2019/07/12/s-300-ve-s-400-sistemlerini-dunyada-kac-ulke-kullaniyor, (Date of Accession: 13.05.2021).
[5] İsrail-Filistin Çatışması: Erdoğan ve Putin’den Çağrı”, Deutche Welle, https://www.dw.com/tr/israil-filistin-%C3%A7at%C4%B1%C5%9Fmas%C4%B1-erdo%C4%9Fan-ve-putinden-%C3%A7a%C4%9Fr%C4%B1/a-57507376, (Date of Accession: 13.05.2021).
