Turkish President Erdogan has accused the US of wanting to intervene in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, the ruler in Ankara presents a surprising plan.
During a state visit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a startling prediction about America’s intentions in the Middle East. During the visit of Austrian President Karl Neuhammer, Erdoğan said on Tuesday that the United States had moved its aircraft carrier USS “Gerald R. Ford” to the Eastern Mediterranean to take action against terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
“What would a US aircraft carrier do near Israel and why would it come? What would the escort ships and planes do,” he asked at a news conference with Nehamer in Ankara. “They will attack Gaza and the surrounding areas and move to carry out heavy massacres there.” He did not say how the authoritarian 69-year-old arrived at this harsh assessment.
At the same time, Erdoğan also mentioned that peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians are necessary to stabilize the tense situation in the region. We call on all influential actors in the region to live up to their responsibilities for peace and to remember that there can be no losers in a just peace.
“To add more fuel to the fire”
The US has yet to issue a statement on Erdogan’s harsh accusations. US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin announced on Sunday that the aircraft carrier group around the USS “Gerald R. Ford” will be relocated near Israel. The aircraft carrier, which always travels with several auxiliary boats, is considered the largest warship in the United States.
The Biden administration had already announced on Monday that it would not send ground troops to Israel. However, the US President assured his ally Israel of the US government’s full support. He called the attack by Islamic terrorist commandos a “pure, unadulterated act of evil”.
Erdoğan urged the parties to the conflict to exercise restraint and indicated that if the situation escalates further, there will be mutual bloodshed and more trouble in the Middle East. “Pouring more fuel on the fire and targeting civilians and civilian facilities will do no one any good,” said the Turkish expert in Ankara.
Whether the statement was aimed at terrorist activities by Hamas militants or Israel’s military counterstrikes, he left open who exactly he was referring to. The Russian leadership issued similar statements earlier in the day. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for an end to fighting between Israel and Palestinian terrorists in a meeting with Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Keid.
“The fighting must stop immediately, and the civilian casualties of the conflict must be protected. At the same time, the Palestinian issue, which has been floundering for decades, must be resolved.” On who he considers to be the key to achieving lasting peace in the Middle East, Lavrov added: “We are ready to do it.”
Why is Russia everywhere?
Erdogan also offered himself as a peace mediator on Tuesday. “Turkey will try to mediate between Israel and the Palestinians,” the Turkish leader said. On that occasion, he once again explained how he envisioned a solution to the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians within the framework of a two-state solution.
However, since this model has failed for years, it is unlikely to be implemented soon, as Erdogan said in a press conference with Nehámar. Instead, he fears that the fighting will continue for a long time and that tensions will increase. “That’s why we want peace talks.”
Erdogan also emphasized that he sees Russia as a suitable mediator. It will surprise the international audience. The regime of Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin is now being touted by the Turkish president as a peacemaker, although the Kremlin has waged a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine for nearly 20 months, with thousands of dead and injured civilians. peace efforts.
Recently, Putin even scrapped a grain deal with Ukraine, despite Erdogan’s personal attempts to mediate. Erdogan’s press conference did not address why Russia, of all institutions, should succeed when it continues to fail on its own doorstep in the Middle East.
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