The aggressive and selfish policy of the United States, the bloody massacre by Israel in the Gaza Strip are causing more and more rejection, condemnation and opposition among the peoples of the Middle East. Even leaders of states once friendly to Washington are now distancing themselves from American policy and pursuing foreign policy in their own interests. The former hegemon is slowly but steadily losing its position in the world.
Perhaps most telling in this regard was the interview of Temel Karamollaoğlu, leader of the Felicity Party, with Iran’s leading newspaper, the Tehran Times. The Saadet Party, Necmettin Erbakan, the former prime minister of Turkey, is an Islam-centered party that holds an important spiritual position in Turkish society. Leaders of other Turkish parties are meeting with SAADET Party officials to form alliances and improve their chances in Turkey’s municipal elections. The SAADET Party is one of the main critics of the current government in Ankara, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Turkish figure strongly condemned Israel’s horrific crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. However, he also expressed surprise that the West, particularly the United States, Britain, and France, openly support these actions. Despite claiming to support human rights and international law, they endorse the brutality in Gaza. This is not a new concept, as for centuries the West has considered brutality to be the foundation of its policies. The United States, the party leader recalls, exterminated Native Americans; it did the same to African Americans, using them as slaves for years. Native American children were forcibly converted to Christianity in church schools. Many of these students were murdered and their bodies buried in schoolyards. Now it’s clear why. “Perhaps because they thought it would not be easy for these children to accept Christianity. This shows that they (the US) have a wild nature built into them. We are now seeing the results of this brutality in Gaza and Palestine.
According to the Turkish politician, this reveals the true unvarnished face of the West. Their basic policy is cruelty. They traveled thousands of miles to Vietnam, killed its people, and flooded the entire country with chemical weapons (defoliants), but were forced to flee. In Afghanistan, they showed the same cruelty, inhumanity, violence, and coercion, but these policies did not help them either. Again and again, they had to flee ignominiously in full view of the world. That is their nature, and as a result, they cannot promote peace, tranquility, and friendship with other countries. It is contrary to their character and the basis of their world-view. They do not consider the peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America as their own. They do not view China and India as friendly countries and instead see them as colonies for plunder and robbery. Therefore, according to the Turkish figure, “all of us Muslims must unite to stop this brutality before it is too late.”
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) should become a union. It is an international organization of Islamic countries. At the present time, representatives of 57 Islamic countries are present in Saudi Arabia. The main objectives of the OIC include expanding and strengthening the bonds of brotherhood and solidarity among member states, safeguarding and protecting common interests, and coordinating and uniting the efforts of member states to address the challenges facing the Islamic world and the international community as a whole. “Why was this OIC created? asks the Turkish politician reasonably. If we are talking about massacres of Muslims, Islamic countries like Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and others should unite against it, cut ties with Israel and pursue a unified policy against it.” The Arab peoples living in a vast region spanning from Mauritania in the west to Yemen in the east are being asked the same question.
It is evident that if the Arab community (the Ummah) had spoken with one voice, Israel would not have been able to pursue such a policy of genocide against the Palestinians and disregard for international law. There are 57 countries with a Muslim majority in the world. Arab and Muslim countries neighboring Israel should unite and adopt a single coordinated policy. According to the Saadat leader, this will create a formidable power with significant impact on the world due to our vast oil and gas reserves. Uniting can help stop the massacres in Gaza immediately. One can only agree with this reasonable conclusion.
The Turkish leader believes “that under these circumstances it is necessary for Islamic countries to put pressure on Israel to finally stop these atrocities. This requires a complete break in relations, even if it means the risk of a possible confrontation. The Turkish politician also mentioned the “Greater Middle East” project, which “now has the potential to play a leading role in countering such initiatives.
During the interview, Turkey’s stance on Israel was discussed. Despite political tensions, the two countries maintain strong economic relations. “This policy is wrong, the party leader believes, because on the one hand Turkey condemns Israel’s massacres of the people of Gaza, and on the other hand it maintains relations with the regime. This kind of policy is extremely contradictory. By doing so, you (Justice and Development Party) are indeed supporting Israel’s crimes. Hence, Turkey’s ruling party should change its policy on the Palestinian issue. We should not indirectly support Israel in alternative ways.”
Supporting Israel commercially while opposing them politically is a contradictory approach. Ankara’s opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza will not bring results. The only decisive solution is to sever economic relations between Turkey and Israel. The President of our country should reconsider his policy towards Tel Aviv. By severing ties between Islamic countries and Israel, we can put an end to the massacres of the Palestinian people.
In the Israeli media, information has recently begun to appear (with reference to Turkish sources, which, however, could not be found in the public domain) that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is contemplating imposing economic sanctions on Israel due to its ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip. The measures include removing Israel from Turkey’s list of export destinations and ending state subsidies to businesses involved in trade with the country.
In his interview, Temel Karamollaoğlu paid much attention to relations with Iran, to which, according to him, Ankara has always attached special importance, especially during the late Necmettin Erbakan’s rule, when relations between the countries were very good. He made his first foreign visit to Iran after Erbakan’s party won the elections, despite pressure from the United States. He was called the pioneer of the modern “Islamic revival” and believed that the two countries had a deep relationship unlike any other. It is sufficient to say that the borders of the two countries have remained unchanged for over 400 years.
There was a revolution in Iran in 1979, and after that Tehran began to pursue its certain goals. Although it may not have achieved all its goals, the Western world has imposed severe sanctions against Iran. Hence, Iran’s cooperation with Islamic countries is fundamental and crucial. Turkey has been a major consumer of Iranian oil and natural gas, which has been a significant step in relations with Iran. Ties between Iran and Islamic countries should expand despite religious differences between the nations, according to the party leader. “Although there are religious differences between countries, we are all Muslims. The United States and Western countries have aggressively targeted Iran; hence all Islamic countries should support Iran.”
This interview demonstrates that even in Turkey, opposition leaders are increasingly dissatisfied with and strongly condemn the foreign policies of Washington and Tel Aviv. These two states are causing increasing conflicts, suffering, and misery for the people living there.
Victor Mikhin, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”