The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, addressed the situation in Gaza this Friday with contradictory positions, but with the common objective of avoiding a regional conflict.
“In difficult times, direct talks are needed,” said Scholz accompanied by Erdogan in statements before the start of the meeting, indicating that there is a “good dialogue” between them despite the “divergent opinions.”
The chancellor reiterated her commitment to “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza, but stressed that Israel “has the right to defend itself” and neutralize the threat of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, without being criticized.
Instead, Erdogan called for a “humanitarian ceasefire,” the first step toward a more comprehensive solution, and criticized Israel’s killing of “13,000 children, women and the elderly.”
“They kill children, people in hospitals. Are we going to remain silent in the face of this? Are we not going to raise our voices? And if we don’t raise our voices, if we don’t do anything, how do we pay the price of history? “, asked.
Referring to the hostages kidnapped by Hamas, he indicated that a much larger number of Palestinians are detained in Israeli prisons and accused Tel Aviv of hiding its possession of the atomic bomb.
However, the Turkish president moderated his speech with respect to previous comments and when asked by German journalists he avoided statements that could harass his host, expressing understanding for the special German sensitivity to the Holocaust, the Efe agency reports.
Scholz and Erdogan opted for a pragmatic perspective, highlighting the goals they share, including sending humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, preventing a regional conflict and, in a more distant perspective, a two-state solution.
Both also indicated their intention to promote the export of cereals through the Black Sea, following Turkey’s involvement in the agreement suspended by Russia, particularly to Africa.
The ratification by the Turkish parliament of Sweden’s accession to NATO, the review of the EU-Turkey migration pact and Turkey’s accession process to the European Union, blocked for several years, were other topics discussed.
And indirectly, Erdogan also referred to Turkey’s interest in purchasing Eurofighter fighters, noting that there should be “no obstacles” in economic relations, including arms exports.
At least 11,470 Palestinians (two-thirds women and children) have died since the start of the current war in Gaza on October 7, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish between civilian and militant deaths. Around 2,700 people are missing, most of them in the rubble of buildings bombed by the Israeli army.
According to Israeli authorities, around 1,200 people, including civilians and soldiers, died in Israel, most in the initial attack, while around 240 were taken hostage by Hamas militias, remaining detained in Gaza.
Source: TSF
