That comes as Muslims inside and outside of Türkiye expect it as a major Islamic country to be their voice in the international community when it comes to providing support for the people of Gaza.
Türkiye has adopted various policies toward regional issues in recent years, from trying to be a mediator to playing the role of a peacekeeper in Syria, but none of them have attracted major international attention.
What’s interesting is that Türkiye’s rhetoric in dealing with regional files, including the Gaza war, has been much different than its actions.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his plans as a catastrophe while calling Netanyahu a maniac who has been emboldened by the silence of the Western world toward his atrocities.
Authorities in Ankara have even declared that Turkiye has cut its trade relations with the Israeli regime. However, reports suggest the actual state of ties is different to what depicted by Turkish authorities.
The Middle East Eye has reported that Türkiye has been using third-party countries like Greece and others to supply its goods and commodities to the Israeli regime.
Official data show Turkiye’s exports to Greece rose by 71% year on year in May to reach $375 million.
Data from the Israeli government also show that Israel imported $116 million worth of goods from Türkiye in May, up 69% from the same month in 2023.
Politicians in Türkiye have also indicated in their statements that the country has been a main supplier of weapons to the Israeli regime while others have pointed to a rise in the supply of Turkish-made steel from Turkiye to Israel in recent months.
That comes on top of the continued supply of crude oil and energy from Türkiye to Israel, something that has sparked major protests in Turkish cities in recent months.
It seems that the contradictory state of Turkiye’s policies toward the war in Gaza has caused a major decline in the country’s position in the eyes of the Muslims around the world.
In fact, Muslims want Turkiye to cut its diplomatic and economic relations with the Israeli regime to help stop the brutal war against the Palestinians and not support it through various means.
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