Raisi no-show suggests Iran irked by Turkey’s "words not action" posture on Gaza
Raisi. Did he stand up Erdogan?
/ Nasim Online, cc-by-sa 4.0
By bne IntelIiNews
By bne IntelIiNews
November 28, 2023
Has Iran just issued a “Give us action, not words” rebuke to Turkey over its reaction to Israel’s onslaught on Gaza? Observers were left bewildered on November 28 when Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was a no-show for a visit to Ankara that was personally announced earlier this month by his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
As bne IntelliNews reported on November 2, Turkey failed to respond to a call from Tehran’s top diplomat for a ban on shipping oil to Israel. Despite the angry rhetoric and invective Erdogan hurls at the Israelis on a near daily basis, Israel continues to obtain almost 40% of its crude in the form of Azerbaijani oil shipped to the country from Turkey’s Ceyhan port. The argument that when it comes to the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, Erdogan appears to be rather big on words, but short on action, was further fuelled this week when the Turkey branch of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement pointed out that power plants of Turkish conglomerate Zorlu Holding meet at least 7% of Israel’s annual electricity needs.
The confusion around Raisi's visit underscores the tensions that linger between regional powers and neighbours Iran and Turkey despite their shared views on the Israel-Hamas war, AFP reported, noting that when Raisi did not show up for the billed meeting the Turkish presidency did not explain whether the visit had been cancelled or postponed.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, meanwhile, reported that Raisi's visit to Turkey had "been postponed", but provided no reason or other details.
"Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is coming to us on the 28th of the month," Erdogan told reporters on November 11.
Turkey's state media also announced the visit and it was discussed extensively on Turkish television as late as November 27. But at the same time, it was never officially confirmed by Raisi's office.
The two presidents and the countries' top diplomats had phone conversations over the weekend focused on the Gaza war.
Erdogan has branded Israel a "terrorist state". He has also riled Israel and Western allies by calling Hamas "a liberation group" despite the brutal massacre it committed inside Israel on October 7. Some analysts, however, think Iran is sending the message that it wants Turkey to move beyond the rhetoric by cutting lucrative trade and energy ties with Israel.
"Iran expects Turkey to end its direct and indirect trade with Israel," Istanbul's Centre for Iranian Studies director Hakki Uygur told AFP.
"Turkey, on the other hand, has taken an attitude that cares about separating political and commercial issues."
Has Iran just issued a “Give us action, not words” rebuke to Turkey over its reaction to Israel’s onslaught on Gaza? Observers were left bewildered on November 28 when Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was a no-show for a visit to Ankara that was personally announced earlier this month by his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
As bne IntelliNews reported on November 2, Turkey failed to respond to a call from Tehran’s top diplomat for a ban on shipping oil to Israel. Despite the angry rhetoric and invective Erdogan hurls at the Israelis on a near daily basis, Israel continues to obtain almost 40% of its crude in the form of Azerbaijani oil shipped to the country from Turkey’s Ceyhan port. The argument that when it comes to the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, Erdogan appears to be rather big on words, but short on action, was further fuelled this week when the Turkey branch of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement pointed out that power plants of Turkish conglomerate Zorlu Holding meet at least 7% of Israel’s annual electricity needs.
The confusion around Raisi's visit underscores the tensions that linger between regional powers and neighbours Iran and Turkey despite their shared views on the Israel-Hamas war, AFP reported, noting that when Raisi did not show up for the billed meeting the Turkish presidency did not explain whether the visit had been cancelled or postponed.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, meanwhile, reported that Raisi's visit to Turkey had "been postponed", but provided no reason or other details.
"Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is coming to us on the 28th of the month," Erdogan told reporters on November 11.
Turkey's state media also announced the visit and it was discussed extensively on Turkish television as late as November 27. But at the same time, it was never officially confirmed by Raisi's office.
The two presidents and the countries' top diplomats had phone conversations over the weekend focused on the Gaza war.
Erdogan has branded Israel a "terrorist state". He has also riled Israel and Western allies by calling Hamas "a liberation group" despite the brutal massacre it committed inside Israel on October 7. Some analysts, however, think Iran is sending the message that it wants Turkey to move beyond the rhetoric by cutting lucrative trade and energy ties with Israel.
"Iran expects Turkey to end its direct and indirect trade with Israel," Istanbul's Centre for Iranian Studies director Hakki Uygur told AFP.
"Turkey, on the other hand, has taken an attitude that cares about separating political and commercial issues."
Erdogan tells UN chief that Israel must face international courts over Gaza crimes
November 28, 2023
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on November 6, 2023
November 28, 2023
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on November 6, 2023
[Fatih Aktaş/Anadolu Agency]
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today that Israel must be held accountable in international courts for the war crimes it has committed in Gaza, Reuters has reported.
According to the Turkish presidency, in a phone call ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Gaza planned for Wednesday, Erdogan told Guterres that, “Israel continues to trample shamelessly on international law, the laws of war and international humanitarian law by looking in the eyes of the international community.”
Israel launched an air and ground offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza after the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, led an attack on Israeli army barracks and settlements in the vicinity of Gaza on 7 October. The resistance fighters crossed the nominal border into the occupation state and took around 240 hostages. Since then, it has been revealed by Haaretz that helicopter gunships and tanks of the Israel Defence Forces had in fact killed many of the 1,200 soldiers and civilians alleged by Israel to have been killed by Hamas.
The apartheid occupation state has since killed more than 15,000 Palestinians in Gaza, 6,150 of whom were children, and 4,000 of whom were women. More than 36,000 people have been wounded by the Israeli offensive, and at least 7,000 are thought to be buried under the rubble of their homes destroyed by Israeli bombs.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, part of a “contact group” of Muslim countries that has been holding talks with Western leaders over Gaza, will attend the meeting in New York on Wednesday, his ministry said earlier today.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today that Israel must be held accountable in international courts for the war crimes it has committed in Gaza, Reuters has reported.
According to the Turkish presidency, in a phone call ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Gaza planned for Wednesday, Erdogan told Guterres that, “Israel continues to trample shamelessly on international law, the laws of war and international humanitarian law by looking in the eyes of the international community.”
Israel launched an air and ground offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza after the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, led an attack on Israeli army barracks and settlements in the vicinity of Gaza on 7 October. The resistance fighters crossed the nominal border into the occupation state and took around 240 hostages. Since then, it has been revealed by Haaretz that helicopter gunships and tanks of the Israel Defence Forces had in fact killed many of the 1,200 soldiers and civilians alleged by Israel to have been killed by Hamas.
The apartheid occupation state has since killed more than 15,000 Palestinians in Gaza, 6,150 of whom were children, and 4,000 of whom were women. More than 36,000 people have been wounded by the Israeli offensive, and at least 7,000 are thought to be buried under the rubble of their homes destroyed by Israeli bombs.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, part of a “contact group” of Muslim countries that has been holding talks with Western leaders over Gaza, will attend the meeting in New York on Wednesday, his ministry said earlier today.
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