Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called on Islamic countries to unite to counter Israeli “expansionism”, after Israeli soldiers shot dead a 26-year-old Turkish-American woman during a protest in the West Bank.
Speaking at an event organised by an Islamic schools association near Istanbul, Erdogan said “the only way to stop Israeli arrogance, robbery and its terrorism is unity among Islamic countries”, reports Reuters news agency. He also noted that Turkey has recently sought to strengthen ties with Egypt and Syria, saying “solidarity against the Israeli expansionist threat” has become necessary. Erdogan also called Israel a threat to Lebanon and Syria.
Erdogan’s remarks came after a meeting between him and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Ankara, where the two leaders discussed the Gaza conflict and considered measures to improve long-standing strained relations between the two countries. The visit, the first presidential-level meeting between the two countries in 12 years, is part of a broader diplomatic initiative by Turkey in 2020 to improve ties with regional rivals that also include the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Erdogan also said he was ready to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to talks to restore ties between Turkey and Syria, after the two countries lost relations following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Meanwhile, the Israeli military on Friday launched an investigation into the death of Turkish-American woman Aysynur Ezgi Ezgi and said it was reviewing the circumstances of the incident in which she was shot.
An American woman who was participating in a protest against Palestinian settlements on the West Bank on Friday was shot dead by Israeli soldiers. Two doctors said the woman was shot in the head. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed the death of 26-year-old Turkish-born woman Aysenur Ezgi Egi.
He did not say whether he was shot by Israeli soldiers or not. The White House said in a statement that it was “deeply disturbed” by the killing of an American citizen. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli said Egi was also a citizen of Turkey. He said that his country “will do everything possible to ensure that those who killed its citizen are brought to justice.”
Türkiye’s Erdogan is ready to join hands even with enemies
Turkey has had tense relations with some Muslim countries for historical and regional reasons.
Syria: Relations between Turkey and Syria have deteriorated since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011. Turkey supported Syrian rebel groups while Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remained in power. Turkey also intervened militarily in northern Syria, further increasing tensions between the two countries.
Egypt: Relations between Turkey and Egypt deteriorated after the ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi in 2013. Turkey supported Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood while the Egyptian military took power. Although the two countries have made efforts to improve relations in recent years, there is a history of hostility between the two.
Saudi Arabia: Tensions between Turkey and Saudi Arabia escalated following the Qatar crisis in 2017 and the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018. Turkey criticised the Saudi government over Khashoggi’s murder, which worsened relations between the two countries. In addition, Turkey’s support for Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s stance against Qatar caused tension between the two countries.
United Arab Emirates (UAE): Relations between Turkey and the UAE have also been sour, especially in the matters of Libya and Syria. The UAE opposed Turkey’s intervention in Syria and Libya. Apart from this, there have been differences between the two countries on the issue of Muslim Brotherhood. However, efforts have been made to improve relations between Turkey and the UAE in recent years.
