Israel’s Gaza operation has become one of the central themes of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s campaign for the presidency culminating in an election this Sunday, Aug. 10, the first ever by public vote. Despite strong international criticism, Erdogan has repeatedly compared Israel’s Gaza operation to Adolph Hitler’s barbarism and accuses his opponent, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, of looking the other way on Israeli aggression.
“They are killing women so they cannot give birth; they are killing babies so they don’t grow up,” Erdogan said Aug. 3 at an election rally in Istanbul attended by nearly 2 million people accusing Israel of genocidal intent to create a pure race. “They are even afraid of babies, but believe me, the more they kill, the more scared they will be.”
On July 24, Erdogan attacked Ihsanoglu, saying, “Eeeey Ekmel, we know you well. You served for eight years [as the secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)]. … You never showed any guts [on behalf of the Palestinians], but Gazans know us well.” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also slammed Ihsanoglu Aug. 2, accusing him of not knowing his place and subject. “Is there any other country than Turkey that is showing effort [to end Israel’s Gaza operation]?” Davutoglu asked. “Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is making remarks stating that one can’t take care of a people by just making verbal statements. We are taking care of them both by words and by actions. Yet one should ask him, then, what he did for them.” He added Aug. 3, “When Palestine earned the observer status at the UN, I was there, next to [Palestinian President] Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas still tells this everywhere he goes, that I was the only one with him on that day. So where were you as the secretary-general of the OIC, then?”
Expressing dismay over such remarks, Ihsanoglu has said repeatedly that this issue should not be exploited for political gains, as diplomacy requires prudence. “It is not enough to make statements or blame Israel,” he said July 20. “We can satisfy our people’s emotions, as well as those of other nations, but this is not the way to meet the needs of the Gazans or to end their suffering.” Denouncing the Israeli operation several times, Ihsanoglu stressed his long and well-established background as proof that he is no friend of Israel.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
