Ulterior motives behind Erdogan’s visit to Gaza

TEHRAN,Nov.13(MNA)--Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s upcoming visit to Gaza is expected to have benefits for Turkey’s ruling party, the AKP, and the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, which is based in Gaza. Since taking office in 2003, Erdogan has used the issue of Palestine as a tool to enhance his foreign policy credentials. In the wake of recent political developments in the Middle East, Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt, have made massive efforts to effect a rapprochement with Hamas in order to separate it from Iran and the regional resistance front. Turkey also wants to be part of the story, and Erdogan’s visit to Gaza is precisely in line with this policy. As an Islamist leader, Erdogan has repeatedly expressed his affiliation with the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the parent organization of Hamas. Thus, through his visit to Gaza, Erdogan wants to solidify this ideological affiliation and increase Turkey’s role in political developments in the region. Erdogan’s visit to Gaza can also help him realize his aspiration to become the next president of Turkey. The Muslim population of Turkey is very sensitive to the issue of Palestine, and Erdogan’s constant criticism of Israel’s blockade of Gaza could persuade Turkish voters to elect him president. Israel’s May 2010 attack on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship that was part of a flotilla transporting humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and the subsequent stances adopted by Erdogan greatly elevated Turkey’s profile in the Muslim world. And Erdogan’s trip to Gaza will provide a good opportunity for him to bring up the incident and make the best use of it for his political objectives. The Turkish government will disseminate a great deal of anti-Israeli propaganda in the run-up to Erdogan’s visit to Gaza and during the trip, and it is certain that Washington will harshly criticize the move. Although Turkey and Israel pretend to be regional rivals, there is clearly strategic cooperation between the two countries, and the trip will not seriously bother the White House. Hassan Lasjerdi is a political analyst and an expert on Turkish politics based in Tehran. (By Hassan Lasjerdi )