Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas begins a two-day visit to Turkey today. Analysts say the visit is an opportunity for Ankara to regain its regional influence after growing isolation and the killing of top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
As Israel's war against Hamas continues, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas today begins a two-day visit to Turkey, during which he will deliver a speech to the Turkish Parliament. But analysts say the visit is likely to be more of an attempt to please Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's domestic political base than to play a meaningful role in resolving the conflict.
“The visit is more about getting a message across to their supporter base. In the international arena, I don't think there is an audience anymore that really sees Turkey as a vanguard or Erdogan as a champion of Palestinian rights.” says Sezin Oney from the PolitikYol portal.
Turkish President Erdogan has publicly criticized Mr Abbas, accusing the Palestinian leader of initially rejecting his invitation to visit Turkey. The Turkish leader purports to be a bridge between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, but analysts say China's recent reception of Palestinian factional leaders is a sign that Mr Erdogan has been ousted from that role.
“This is an issue in which Erdogan personally invested a lot of time and energy. He hoped to reconcile the Palestinian factions, but China intervened in the matter, drawing attention to its actions. China has more political influence over the two sides.” says Selin Nasi, a researcher of Turkish affairs at the London School of Economics.
On Tuesday, Mahmoud Abbas visited Moscow, underscoring what analysts say is the growing importance of other countries in efforts to resolve the conflict. But President Erdogan may try to use Mr. Abbas's visit to regain his influence on the Palestinian cause, especially after the assassination of his close ally, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and his replacement by Yahya Sinwari.
“Erdogan himself and other AK Party leaders have supported Hamas and its leader Haniyeh up to this point. Now we have the new leader Yahya Sinwar. They cannot meet him, contact him, or have the kind of relationship they had with Mr. Haniyeh. So at this point they have been forced to return to Mahmoud Abbasi. says Sezin Oney from the PolitikYol portal.
But analysts warn that Mr. Abbas may have little interest in considering Turkey as a country that could play a greater role in resolving the conflict. Some analysts say Ankara has little to offer in this regard because Erdogan's strong support for Hamas and his fiery anti-Israel rhetoric are increasingly isolating Turkey from other countries seeking to end it. fighting.
“It is not only Israel that is blocking Turkey's participation in the efforts to resolve the conflict, but also the Gulf countries are suspected of not wanting Turkey's participation in this process.” says Selin Nasi, a researcher of Turkish affairs at the London School of Economics.
Analysts warn that any hope that Mr Abbas's visit could be a harbinger of a greater role for Ankara in ending fighting in the region is likely to end in disappointment. They say there is more chance that Mr Erdogan's press conference with Palestinian leader Abbas will be used by the Turkish President to please his conservative base.
