Turkiye has been actively pursuing peace in the Middle East and in the post-October 7 period. With escalating tensions in the region due to Israel’s barbaric assault against innocent Palestinians in Gaza, Turkiye’s role has been further highlighted. Ankara has persistently pushed for a ceasefire and an immediate end to Israeli aggression. Ankara’s response has been both active and steadfast, reflected also in the provision of humanitarian aid at a large scale via Egypt. Ankara’s close links with Hamas and Fatah also enable it to play a role in pushing for an end to the crisis. Hamas had also stated that it would like Turkiye to be one of the guarantor states.[1]
On a global level, Turkiye has been actively engaged in bilateral negotiations — with the Turkish leadership having repeated conversations with counterparts from Russia, Greece, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Algeria as well as from Palestine and Israel. Multilateral forums are no exception and Ankara has taken a clear stance there as well. At international summit meetings, like the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), among others, Turkiye has raised this issue and has also had deep engagement with officials at the United Nations. The lack of unity within the Muslim world has been decried by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a major reason for the absence of a comprehensive response. It may be noted that Turkiye has become the second country to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
