A story in the Israeli press claiming that Turkey is obstructing efforts to secure Palestinian reconciliation has added fresh fuel to the belief in Turkish government circles that there is an international campaign to isolate Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government diplomatically.
Turkey already plays a minimal role in efforts to bring about a negotiated settlement to the Syrian civil war because of Erdogan’s single-track Syria policy based on the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad by force. Turkey’s lack of ties with Israel and its strong support for Hamas, on the other hand, have ensured that Ankara has no role in the Middle East peace process, either.