Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long been a vocal advocate for the Palestinian cause, sharply criticizing Israel for its actions towards Palestinians. Historically, his support for Palestine has resonated with many Turks, exemplified by the 2010 raid on the Mavi Marmara flotilla, which resulted in the deaths of nine individuals at the hands of Israeli forces. This incident led to a prolonged deterioration of relations between Turkey and Israel until a normalization agreement was reached in 2016.
However, relations appear to be worsening again due to Israel’s devastating military actions against Gaza. Erdogan has condemned Israel’s actions, but his government has faced criticism for a perceived lack of effective support for Gaza since the conflict escalated in October. In recent weeks, Turkey has adopted a firmer stance, formally joining South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Sinem Adar, an expert in Turkish politics, highlights that Erdogan’s actions are largely a response to domestic pressure from religiously oriented voters who demand support for Palestinians. Nonetheless, this move also reflects the government’s limited ability to influence the situation in the Israel-Palestine conflict. “The current crisis has revealed the government’s power limitations,” says Adar. Some analysts consider Turkey’s actions at the ICJ to be symbolic and primarily aimed at appeasing domestic voters calling for Palestinian support.
Across the Turkish political spectrum, there is widespread outrage over Israel’s war against Gaza, which has reportedly resulted in the deaths of around 40,000 Palestinians and a humanitarian catastrophe. In response to growing public pressure, Erdogan and his government have organized pro-Palestinian marches and paused trade relations with Israel. The Turkish Ministry of Trade has stated that the aim of the trading halt is to pressure Israel into allowing humanitarian aid to Gaza. However, Adar notes that the introduction of the trade ban is a reaction to domestic pressure and Erdogan’s declining voter support.
The current political landscape in Turkey is highly polarized, and the opposition has seized on government restrictions, such as the recent blocking of Instagram, as an opportunity to critique Erdogan. This has led to a rather unusual political consensus among Turks, uniting them in a stronger opposition to Israel’s actions. “We see that the Palestinian cause is a multi-party issue in Turkey,” explains Selim Koru from the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). Koru emphasizes that both secular parties and supporters of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) view the conflict as a humanitarian crisis, albeit through different ideological lenses.
It is clear that, irrespective of political differences in Turkey, there is widespread agreement that Israel’s actions towards Palestinians are unacceptable.