The Operation Al-Aqsa Storm: Unmasking Erdogan’s Hypocrisy?

By: A. Yeganeh

Throughout the extensive history of the West Asian region, supporting the Palestinian cause has served as a means to gain legitimacy and popularity among Muslim politicians. Particularly after the Zionist occupation of Palestine in 1948, many Muslim rulers have expressed their support for the freedom of Palestine and the liberation of Bayt al-Muqaddas [Jerusalem].

As Palestinian troops recently vanquished the Zionist invaders near the Gaza Strip, each West Asian country adopted political positions based on their proximity or distance to the Palestinian question.Turkish President Erdogan, who has held power in Turkey for nearly two decades, has been widely recognized for his controversial and sometimes contradictory stance on the Palestinian issue.Years ago, a video capturing Erdogan leaving a meeting at Davos in protest against the former Zionist president, Shimon Peres, propelled him to fame as a prominent anti-Zionist figure within the Islamic world.

However, the normalization of Turkey's relations with Tel Aviv has left the global Muslim community astounded by Erdogan's paradoxical actions.In recent years, the Turkish government has openly engaged in various political, military, and security agreements with the Israeli regime, raising suspicions regarding Turkey's true intentions regarding the Palestinian crisis, as Erdogan's rhetoric contradicts his previous pro-Palestinian proclamations.Hypocritically, Erdogan presents himself as the champion of the Palestinian cause, yet in practice, he has made no significant contributions towards the plight of the oppressed Palestinian nation.

Economic factors may explain Erdogan's self-contradictory policies. The Turkish government is actively working to attract foreign aid and international investment to address its struggling economy. Erdogan aims to establish closer ties with Western countries, leveraging their financial capital to improve Turkey's dire economic conditions. A similar objective underpinned Erdogan's endeavors in the Caucasus, which ultimately failed due to the astuteness of Iran and Russia.Turkey has faced significant animosity from regional nations due to its interventions in northern Iraq and Syria in recent years. With the successful launch of the Palestinian Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, Erdogan now has an opportunity to improve the negative perception of West Asian nations towards him. However, Erdogan's contradictory positions only serve to highlight his hypocrisy in the eyes of regional nations.

It is inconceivable to embrace the head of the Zionist regime while shedding crocodile tears for the crimes committed by Zionists against the oppressed people of Gaza.In a broader context, it is crucial to acknowledge that the blueprint of Western imperialism in West Asia is being redefined due to the strategic acumen of the Axis of Resistance.Few Arab regimes in the region have sought to normalize relations with Tel Aviv through overt and covert meetings, desperately attempting to justify it to their respective nations.However, this disgraceful plot, which witnessed a flurry of normalization agreements between Arab countries and the fake Zionist regime over the past two years, and of course under US pressure, has now reached a complete impasse.

Interestingly, the recent exposure to the heinous crimes committed by the Zionists has prompted several Arab nations to suspend the normalization of relations with the Zionists, effectively derailing the United States' years of planning to dismantle the Palestinian people through extensive economic and political investments.Overnight, with the outbreak of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, this malicious endeavor has been once and for all consigned to the annals of history.Today, totalitarian regimes like Turkey are tarnishing their reputation through their duplicitous and illogical approach in the face of the ongoing tragedy in the besieged Gaza Strip. In this process, Erdogan has lost his previous status. Once hailed as the neo-Ottoman caliph, the Turkish government has now assumed a completely passive and shameful role.