The Foreign Ministry allowed shocks in NATO due to Turkey’s position on Gaza

The opposing positions of the United States and Turkey on the conflict between Israel and Gaza could cause serious contradictions within NATO. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Vedomosti on the sidelines of the XVI Verona Eurasian Economic Forum in Samarkand.

“Of course it is [расхождение между Турцией и США] will cause additional friction, some kind of internal turmoil,” he suggested.

But beyond that, there are many dividing lines between NATO’s northern and southern members, he added. Those countries that feel a threat from northern Africa from time to time show dissatisfaction with the fact that NATO’s strategy is largely tailored to the task of fending off a threat from the East: that is, in fact, military construction for a clash with Russia, the deputy minister continued.

However, at the current stage of the conflict one should not overestimate the significance of the contradictions for NATO. After all, so far, of all the member countries of the alliance, only one player is clearly participating in the conflict in the Middle East – the United States. They never needed NATO permission for certain actions in the region. And now the Americans have transferred two aircraft carrier groups to the Mediterranean Sea, while there is no NATO decision on this matter, Grushko emphasized. Another thing is that if the United States needs to legitimize its position or actions, it will be able to attract allies to this.

The potential for the conflict to develop is enormous, Grushko is sure. Turkey remains one of the main countries in the region, and this directly affects its interests. All this creates risks of not only geographical, but also vertical escalation – a threat to regional security, he noted. “In this case, not a single organization will be able to remain on the sidelines,” the deputy minister concluded.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke at a rally in support of Palestinians on October 28 in Istanbul. He called what was happening in the Gaza Strip a “massacre” and blamed Western countries for it. 1.5 million people gathered at the “great Palestinian rally” at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, Turkish media wrote.

According to the Turkish president, Israel is behaving like a “war criminal”: “Of course, every country has the right to self-defense. But where is the justice in this case?

Erdogan said that “those who yesterday shed crocodile tears for the civilians” killed in the war in Ukraine “today calmly watch the death of thousands of innocent children.” He believes that Western countries “mobilized their politicians and their media to legitimize the massacre of children, women and innocent people in Gaza.”

“We are against double standards and all this hypocrisy,” the Turkish president said. He added that Israel is an “occupier” and a “pawn” that “will be sacrificed when the time comes.”

“I ask the West a question: do you want a new crusade against the Crescent?” – exclaimed the Turkish president.

On October 8, US President Joe Biden delivered a special address dedicated to the Hamas attack on Israel.

Biden emphasized that Israel can now, as always, count on the support of the United States. It was the United States, he recalled, that was the first country to recognize the state of Israel.

“We will make sure they get the help their citizens need so they can continue to defend themselves,” Biden said.

The US House of Representatives (lower house of Congress) approved a $14.3 billion aid bill for Israel without mentioning Ukraine, The Hill reported on November 3, citing voting results.

The project was supported by 226 members of the chamber, 196 voted against. As The Hill notes, 12 Democrats joined the Republicans, who currently make up the majority in the House of Representatives. Now the bill will be submitted to the US Senate (upper house) for consideration, and if adopted, it will be sent to President Joe Biden for signature. Previously, he promised to veto a project that would provide assistance only to Israel, excluding Ukraine.