The Jerusalem Post published an article by Keneth Bandler entitled 'On My Mind: Palestine’s Turkish agent.' "Turkey’s posturing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become so ardent that The New York Times, in a recent editorial, mistakenly called Turkey an Arab country," the article reads.
"No wonder Abbas, standing behind the Palestine delegation table in the General Assembly hall, was ecstatic as he hugged Davutoglu, after 138 countries had adopted the measure, with only nine opposed and another 41 abstaining," the author writes. "Those nations that voted yes, especially EU countries that provide substantial financial support to the PA, must now follow up and press Abbas to fulfill his own peace promise."
"So far, the United States remains a lone voice among major world powers, with Ambassador Susan Rice stressing that peace “cannot be made by pressing a green voting button in this hall,” the article reads. "But US allies in the Arab and Muslim world, like NATO member Turkey, are proving woefully unhelpful to the peace process. Delighted with his country’s advocacy for the Palestinian people, Prime Minister Erdogan announced right after the UN vote that he would finally visit Gaza. He has promised to do so before, and as Cairo seethed with protesters challenging Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, he stayed away again."
"Erdogan missed out on traveling with Khaled Mashaal, the Hamas leader in exile who was making his own first visit to Gaza. Would Erdogan have encouraged Haniyeh and Mashaal to pursue peace with Israel, or might his presence have made Turkey even more of an accomplice favoring violence? In recent years some have tried to portray Mashaal as a potential peace partner for Israel. Newsweek featured an interview with him entitled “Hamas Talks Peace” two years ago, in which Mashaal never said the word “peace,” the author writes.
"More recently, some in the Western media have concluded that Mashaal’s leaving Damascus, relocating in Qatar, and pulling away from Iran are signs of “moderation,” the article reads. "For anyone who still thinks that Hamas might possibly reform, Mashaal burst that bubble on his Gaza visit."
“Palestine is ours from the river to the sea and from the south to the north. There will be no concession on any inch of the land,” Mashaal declared to a huge crowd gathered to celebrate Hamas’s 25th anniversary. Proclaiming that a Palestinian state would be realized through continued war, not negotiation, Mashal reaffirmed the Hamas Charter’s explicit call for Israel’s annihilation," the author writes. "Neither Turkey nor the PA had any comment on Mashaal’s declaration. That silence is stunning."
