Applause for Palestine Under the Dome of the Turkish Parliament

IN FOCUS, 19 Aug 2024

Al-Quds - TRANSCEND Media Service

Al-Quds

16 Aug 2024 – In a move that reflects strong political support for the Palestinian cause, the Turkish parliament witnessed an unprecedented celebration of President Mahmoud Abbas, yesterday, Thursday, which was evident in the warm applause he received during his speech before parliament, in messages that carry rejection of US bias towards Israel, as well as the speech carrying a political message to end the division and find a political cover led by Turkey for that. Political writers and analysts, in separate interviews with Al-Quds and Al-Quds.com, agree that the storm of applause for President Mahmoud Abbas came in response to the applause that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received in the US Congress last month, which highlighted the Turkish position as a major supporter of Palestinian rights in the face of clear US bias towards Israel.

On the other hand, President Mahmoud Abbas’s sudden decision to head to the Gaza Strip with members of the Palestinian leadership, which he announced from under the dome of the Turkish parliament yesterday, was widely echoed among observers who wondered whether this step was possible in light of the war of extermination waged by the occupying state and the positions of the extreme Israeli right, on the one hand, and whether this step was agreed upon and coordinated with Arab and international parties, in preparation for what is called the “day after” the war?

Turkish Parliament Responds to US Congress

Writer and political analyst Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad confirms that what the Turkish parliament witnessed yesterday, Thursday, is remarkable in terms of celebrating President Mahmoud Abbas, in response to the warm applause that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received in the US Congress last month.

Awad believes that standing and applauding President Abbas’s speech before the Turkish parliament was done in the same manner that Netanyahu was received in Congress, where the speech of the parliament speaker came, then President Abu Mazen entered the parliament hall, then there was warm applause, while during the speech there was standing and applause 35 times, and praise for President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech, all of this confirms the message of the Turkish response to the US Congress, which celebrated a person who commits massacres, while the Turkish parliament celebrates the victim.

According to Awad, President Abbas’ speech and the applause for him are a clear expression of Turkish support for the Palestinian cause, as the Turkish parliament seeks through this celebration, as Turkey is one of the major Sunni countries in the region, to emphasize Turkey’s effective and active role in regional politics.

According to Awad, Turkey seeks to enhance its influence as a major supporter of the Palestinian cause and to achieve a greater role in resolving the regional conflict, especially since it is a large Islamic country, a neighbor of the Arab region, the fifth country in NATO, and has extensive relations with all parties and other major relations with the components of the Palestinian people in all their spectrums, and has relations with Israel, US and Europe, and it can play many major roles, and this comes as confirmation of its major role.

Unifying the Palestinian territories geographically and politically

Regarding President Mahmoud Abbas’s announcement, during his speech in the Turkish parliament, of his intention to visit the Gaza Strip, Awad believes that “Abu Mazen” aims through this step to unify the Palestinian territories geographically and politically, and to block the path of projects that seek to separate the Strip from the West Bank and Jerusalem.

According to Awad, this announcement by President Mahmoud Abbas carries strong implications related to strengthening the idea of the two-state solution, confronting attempts to undermine it, and ensuring unified Palestinian representation in the face of international and regional pressures.

Awad points out that President Abbas’s visit to Gaza will be met with strong opposition from Israel and the United States, and is considered a difficult step.

Awad points out that President Abbas’s announcement that he will practically go to Gaza places international institutions and the international community before their responsibilities. Can it provide protection for President Abbas’s trip and can it apply international law in this regard?

Awad points out that Israel may take punitive measures against President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority, while the United States may reject the visit if it is not coordinated.

According to Awad, the visit is practically difficult, because Israel rejects it and does not want President Abbas and the Authority to return to Gaza, while the US rejects the visit, because it wants a modernized Palestinian Authority, and therefore the US may not welcome this visit if it is not under its cloak and coordination with it.

Awad believes that President Abbas’s choice of Turkey as the place to announce his visit to the Gaza Strip reflects a strong desire to obtain political support and guarantees from a country with great influence on the international scene, due to its geopolitical importance and relations as a member of NATO, and its ability to provide political guarantees and play a role in regional solutions, which strengthens its position as a major supporter of Palestine.

By announcing this, President Abbas, according to Awad, is sending a message to regional and international powers that Turkey is ready to be part of the solution, which strengthens its alliances and reflects its desire to play a greater role in regional issues, and that President Abbas’s announcement from the heart of the Turkish parliament of his intention to go with the Palestinian leadership to Gaza is considered a public approval of the Turkish role in the region.

He believes that President Mahmoud Abbas went to Turkey to confirm that he has a circle of many friends and allies, as if he was telling others in the region that Turkey is ready to be part of the solution and wants to be practically part of the region.

Awad points out that President Abbas made it clear from his speech that he was saying “my Turkish brothers” and not “my friends,” and this has meaning, by expanding the allies.

A Turkish-Palestinian attempt to provide a response that differs from the US position

Writer and political analyst Dr. Abdul Majeed Suwailem confirms that the Turkish parliament’s applause for President Mahmoud Abbas indicates several important aspects, the most important of which is that it represents a Turkish-Palestinian response to the artificial applause that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received before the US Congress.

Suwailem believes that the Turkish applause is not just blind support, but rather a direct political recognition of President Mahmoud Abbas’s positions, within the framework of a Turkish-Palestinian attempt to provide a response that differs from the US position.

“We cannot ignore the fact that there is a Turkish-Palestinian attempt to respond in a different way,” Suwailem says. “We are talking about a Turkish parliament that applauds the direct political consideration of President Abbas’s words, not for considerations related to blind support. I believe that the comparison here is in the interest of the applause that Abu Mazen received.”

According to Suwailem, the policy seeks to record a position against the bias of the US Congress towards Israel, especially in light of the war on Gaza, which directly affects the Hamas movement, which is close to Turkey.

Suwailem points out that the Turks want to take a stand against the North Americans, not because they want to fight the US, but because they are no longer able to tolerate this US bias towards Israel and its policy, especially with regard to the war on the Gaza Strip, especially since the Hamas movement is close to Turkey, and what happened affects them in one way or another, in addition to affecting the Palestinian people.

Therefore, according to Suwailem, this applause that President Mahmoud Abbas received in the Turkish parliament comes as a kind of Turkish insinuation from the Palestinian channel that they are not satisfied with the policy that Congress and the United States are following in this brazen manner of support for Israel.

It is believed that Turkey seeks, through this applause in parliament for President Mahmoud Abbas, to express its dissatisfaction with the US policy, which shows unconditional support for Israel.

Suwailem points out that President Mahmoud Abbas, through his speech in the Turkish parliament, sent strong messages that he intends to visit the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem to confront the Israelis through political rather than military means, which reflects an attempt to increase the effectiveness of the Palestinian position.

Suwailem believes that there is a delay in the Palestinian leadership taking stronger positions in confronting Israel and the United States, stressing the need for Palestinian responses to be more firm and strong, especially after the continued violations and massacres during the past ten months.

Suwailem says: “President Mahmoud Abbas sent important messages that he and the entire Palestinian leadership will go to the Gaza Strip and then to Jerusalem, and that after that he is determined to confront the Israelis. It is true that he will not be able to confront the weapons as he said, but he can confront them in other ways and means.”

Suwailem continues: “The Palestinian people were not asking President Mahmoud Abbas to confront them with weapons, but rather they were asking him to confront them politically, and for his positions to be firm, strong, confrontational and resistant, and not necessarily to use weapons. I see that there is a significant delay in this position, some of the details of which we heard in the speech of the president (Abu Mazen) from the heart of the Turkish parliament.”

Suwailem stresses that the Palestinian people are not extremists, and they know the circumstances of the Palestinian leadership, the circumstances of the agreements and international circumstances, and the connections, and the Palestinian people are an intelligent people who have political experience and know all these facts, but he also felt that the official Palestinian political position could have been much stronger, and that the state of confrontation with the Israelis and North Americans could have been stronger than it has been up until now.

Suwailem stresses that there has been a development in the position of the Palestinian leadership, and since this development has occurred, this means that it could have occurred, especially since the massacres, killing, genocide, and operations to cut off aid, medicine, and starvation have been ongoing for ten months around the clock, and thus the Palestinian position could have been stronger than it was.

Suwailem believes that the Palestinian leadership is determined to visit Gaza and Jerusalem, and not just for propaganda purposes, and the president and the Palestinian leadership will try to implement this, which Suwailem considers an important step that the Palestinian leadership is keen on taking towards strengthening unity between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Suwailem also believes that President Abbas’s visit to Gaza expresses the Palestinian leadership’s desire to affirm the unity of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, despite the differences, and considers the visit to Jerusalem part of this strategy, in the face of extremist groups such as the gangs of Ben Gvir and Smotrich.

He points out that the announcement of the visit to Gaza from Turkey reflects Ankara’s new positions in strengthening its position on the verge of reconciliation with Syria, and restoring its relations with the axis of resistance, in addition to emphasizing the historical relationship with the Hamas movement, which in turn appreciates the Turkish position and relies on it in many positions and issues.

Suwailem asserts that the Turkish position is an attempt to confront the US bias that did not respect Turkish interests in the context of the NATO alliance, and what he considers a betrayal of the Turkish side.

A deliberate and direct step

Dr. Saad Nimr, a professor of political science at Birzeit University, believes that the applause in the Turkish parliament was a deliberate and direct move, aimed at responding to the applause that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received in the US Congress.

Nimr points out that this applause was sharp and rapid when President Abbas addressed sensitive issues related to Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem, as well as his invitation to go to the Gaza Strip.

Nimer explains that the Turks, who are very proud of their nationalism, considered their applause for President Abbas to be an appropriate response to Congress’ applause for Netanyahu, as part of an attempt to respond to what they see as unjustified US bias.

In this context, Nimr considers the Turkish applause to be a political reaction that reflects Ankara’s steadfast support for the Palestinian people.

Regarding President Abbas’s announcement of his intention to visit the Gaza Strip, Nimr believes that this step was necessary and should have taken place before October 7, specifically before the war, to end the dispute between the Fatah and Hamas movements and unify the Palestinian ranks.

Nimr believes that President Abbas’s announcement of his intention to visit Gaza is a practical response to the Israeli plans that seek to weaken the Palestinian Authority in Gaza after the war and want an Arab or international force loyal to Israel, and also an affirmation that Gaza is an integral part of the Palestinian people.

Nimr stresses that President Abbas’s announcement of his visit to Gaza must come on the basis of national unity with all Palestinian resistance forces, and this announcement is considered a practical response to Netanyahu, who seeks to fragment Palestinian unity and strengthen a government loyal to Israel.

Nimr points out that the major changes that occurred after October 7th require the leadership and the Fatah movement to reconsider their strategies and alliances, and to ensure that these changes are taken into account in shaping future policies.

Nimr says: “It is possible that President Mahmoud Abbas’s visit to Gaza will happen, if there is a political will for national unity, and this period is the most appropriate time to end the differences and move towards national unity.”

Nimr stresses that Abbas’s visit to Gaza depends on the political will to unify the Palestinian ranks, with the necessity of realizing the changes that occurred after October 7, and how to develop new strategies to confront the Israeli occupation, which wants to eliminate the Palestinian people and not just the Palestinian project.

Nimr believes that President Abbas’s announcement from Turkey, which shows great support for the Palestinian people and considers Hamas a resistance movement and not a terrorist organization, is a strategic step to strengthen unity with Hamas, especially in light of the good relations between Turkey and the Hamas movement, headed by the martyr Ismail Haniyeh, and the location of the president’s announcement means that he needs political cover centered in Turkey.

A glimmer of hope towards ending 17 years of division

In his analysis of President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech before the Turkish Parliament, writer and political analyst Suleiman Basharat believes that this speech carries strong symbolic and political messages, and is a direct response to the speech delivered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the US Congress. Basharat points out that President Abbas’s speech before the Turkish Parliament carries a connotation about an attempt to break the equation that Israel sought to achieve by isolating the Palestinian cause from the Arab and Islamic depths as well as the region, and thus monopolizing the Palestinian people.

Basharat believes that the applause of the Turkish parliament members for President Abbas constitutes a response to the US Congress members who supported Netanyahu’s position.

According to Basharat, the Turkish applause shows Turkey’s support for Palestinian rights and confirms its desire to support the Palestinian cause, and that Israel is not the only one shaping the future of the Palestinian cause.

Regarding President Abbas’s announcement of his intention to visit the Gaza Strip, Basharat believes that this step, despite its relative delay compared to the duration of the war, reflects the unity of the Palestinian political position towards the Palestinian cause. The announcement is also considered a confirmation that the Israeli occupation’s attempts to strengthen the isolation of Gaza from the West Bank will not succeed in the presence of Palestinian national consensus. The announcement of the visit is considered a glimmer of hope for ending more than 17 years of Palestinian division.

Basharat believes that implementing the visit with Arab and regional participation, and perhaps some Western friends, may give the Palestinian cause, and the Gaza Strip in particular, great momentum.

Regarding the president’s announcement of his visit to Gaza from the heart of the Turkish parliament, Basharat believes that Turkey was the one that took the initiative to invite Abbas to deliver his speech before the Turkish parliament.

Basharat explains that Turkey has great political weight and has regional and Islamic reach, in addition to its balanced relations with the Palestinian resistance factions and the Palestinian Authority. Turkey provides continuous support to the Palestinian cause, as it has repeatedly criticized the Israeli occupation.

However, Basharat believes that Turkey is now seeking to regain its momentum and play a greater role in the next stage regarding the future of the Palestinian issue.

Full support for the Palestinian Authority

The Turkish academic and political researcher, Dr. Muhannad Hafizoglu, considered that President Mahmoud Abbas’s announcement of a visit to Gaza with the Palestinian leadership from under the dome of the Turkish Parliament has an important indication that Turkey provides full support to the Palestinian Authority, and that it is not only a supporter of Hamas but also of the Authority.

Oglu told Al-Quds: “The Palestinian issue is considered by the Turkish leadership to be a vital and important issue, and this is what the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament said, that the Palestinian issue is the legacy of our Ottoman ancestors, and it is our duty that we bear today.”

President Abbas’s announcement from the Turkish parliament of his decision to visit the Gaza Strip was considered to have a regional dimension and international momentum, which is what Turkish officials confirm by the necessity of Turkey providing full support to the Gaza Strip, and that the authority must be in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank alike, and must not be fragmented in order for a Palestinian state to be recognized on the borders of 1967.

Oglu believed that “President Abbas’s visit to Gaza will take place despite the obstacles that Israel will put in place,” noting that the president’s announcement is important and comes with Turkish support and support from Arab countries, in addition to US approval and the international community.

Is there an Arab and international consensus based on US’ will?

For his part, Dr. Jamal Al-Shalabi, professor of international relations at the Hashemite University of Jordan in Amman, wondered whether the visit could take place and whether the president had the courage to carry it out, or whether there was a specific scenario agreed upon by the Arabs and the international community with an US desire and will for the Palestinian Authority to return to Gaza.

Al-Shalabi said: I believe that there are agreements today in light of the Israeli brutality, and the absence of any clear Arab, Islamic, or even international position. Perhaps there are certain concessions made by Hamas and the resistance in order to protect the Palestinian people and achieve calm for the future.

Al-Shalabi saw that President Abbas’s announcement of his visit to Gaza from Turkey has great significance, and that the resistance, through the Turkish parliament, is what contributed to this announcement. It may be the beginning of the end of the war in Gaza, and President Abbas cannot announce it without obtaining a green light from the West, the Arabs, and the United Nations. And for this to happen from Turkey, the capital of political Islam, has significance.

He said: Perhaps we are heading towards the end of the war and the beginning of a new phase of negotiations, and perhaps the resistance will crystallize politically and not militarily with a Turkish guarantee and an acceptable US position, and perhaps the US needs President Biden to end the phase, as he is the one who imposed the war, and now he is imposing peace to obtain the greatest possible support from the Arab and Islamic worlds, and the Arab and Islamic communities in the United States.

The Authority can play an important role in Gaza

In turn, political analyst Wadih Abu Nassar from Haifa told Al-Quds and Al-Quds.com: There are several political messages from President Mahmoud Abbas’s announcement of a visit to Gaza. First, the Palestinian Authority can play an important role in Gaza. Second, the Authority has a plan for Gaza after the war. Third, Israel is trying to show that the Authority is unable to work in Gaza, but the announcement of the visit confirms that the Authority is able to work away from Israeli obstacles.

Abu Nassar wondered to what extent the visit would take place, as the president cannot cross through the Erez crossing. He pointed out that the visit would be accompanied by Israeli obstacles because Netanyahu is not interested in strengthening the authority, considering that the visit is a step that would contribute to uniting the Palestinians and strengthening the authority.

Go to Original – alquds.com

Share this article: email mastodon facebook 🔗 copy link

DISCLAIMER: The statements, views and opinions expressed in pieces republished here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of TMS. In accordance with title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. TMS has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is TMS endorsed or sponsored by the originator. “GO TO ORIGINAL” links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the “GO TO ORIGINAL” links. This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

There are no comments so far.