Etiket arşivi: Gaza

Peace in the Middle East?

January 7, 2026

With the US attack on Venezuela, Gaza and Ukraine have moved down the global agenda. Previously, there was a seesaw relationship between the two. When violence or “peace efforts” in one attracted attention, the other faded into the background. During the past week, they were hardly mentioned. Yet they are still with us, and the world does not need new reminders.

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Obstacles to Peace in Gaza

November 17, 2025

On  November 11, 2025, Reuters, under the heading “Partition of Gaza a looming risk as Trump’s plan falters”, reported that a de facto partition of Gaza between an area controlled by Israel and another ruled by Hamas is increasingly likely, with efforts to advance President Trump’s plan to end the war beyond a ceasefire faltering.

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UNGA 80 and Türkiye’s Agenda

September 22, 2025

This morning, the UN General Assembly begins its “High-level Week 2025” with a meeting to mark the 80th anniversary of the UN. Later in the day, the UN will resume the High-Level International Conference for the “Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution,” co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. The conference aims to reaffirm international commitments to the two-state solution and seek support for its implementation. From September 22 to 30, world leaders will address global issues during the General Debate.

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Facts as Opposed to Public Discourse

June 2, 2025

In recent weeks, there have been more references to growing international criticism of the IDF’s Gaza operations and mounting pressure on Israel.

President Macron, in a speech opening a security forum in Singapore last week, said that he heard the voice in this region, as well in Africa, South America, the Gulf, about the double standard in Gaza, where a lot think that the Americans and the Europeans are giving a free pass to Israel, and this is a big risk.[i]

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Türkiye’s Radish War

April 21, 2025

Following President Erdoğan’s first use of it in early January after the arrest of Mr. Rıza Akpolat, the Mayor of the Beşiktaş district of İstanbul, “radish” has become the top word of the Turkish political lexicon. Once he used the word, Mr. Özgür Özel, the leader of the main opposition party CHP, reacted by calling it “a declaration of war”. Thus, while the world remains engaged in a tariff war, we are fighting an internal “radish war”.

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The Question of the Endgame in Gaza (2)

April 7, 2025

On January 18, 2025, following the Israeli government’s approval of the Gaza ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a statement.  He notably declared that Israel retains the right to return to the war, if necessary, with the backing of the US. And in a broad assessment of the war against Hamas and Iran’s Axis of Resistance, he said:

“We eliminated Sinwar, Deif and Haniyeh. We eliminated Nasrallah and the entire Hezbollah leadership. We destroyed most of the weaponry of the Syrian military. We struck the Houthis in Yemen. We acted against Iran. Indeed, we struck all of these very hard, that is to say that we struck the entire Iranian axis very hard – and we are still active.

“Just as I promised you, we have changed the face of the Middle East.”

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Times of Trouble

March 23, 2025

When addressing international questions in my posts, I generally conclude by saying, “As for Türkiye,” and share a few observations on my country’s current challenges. Today, I would reverse the order and briefly start with Türkiye because we are going through tragic times, to say the least.

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Gaza’s Destruction Continues

October 31, 2024

On October 1, Iran fired 200 missiles at Israel. There was no clarity regarding the full scope of the damage to Israeli military bases. It was generally agreed that Iran was “more successful” in evading Israel’s defenses than in April when Iran had launched a barrage of missiles and drones targeting Israel nearly two weeks after the deadly strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria.

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The War in Gaza to Continue

June 17, 2024

On May 31, President Biden announced that Israel has offered a comprehensive new proposal. He described the three-phase Israeli plan as a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages. He added that the proposal had been transmitted by Qatar to Hamas.[i]

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