Now, it is time to take Hamas under control

Up until now Turkish diplomacy tried to stay away from this issue. Administrations kept saying how important this issue was, and that they would suffer with our Arab brothers, that they felt sorry for the Palestinians and would then get out of the situation by offering help. They would show just as much reaction as not to bother the United States but Israel and continue on their path. There was a reason why they behaved this way. They saw that the Arabs did not intend to solve this issue. To tell the truth, isn’t today’s situation the same?

Nobody can tell me that the Arabs are really looking for a solution, leaving aside disagreement among them, and taking action in order to end pain for Palestinians.

Without digging into details but taking a rough look at their disagreement we notice that the Arabs are split into two fronts:

The Egypt-Saudi Arabia-Jordan front is close to United States and Israel. In this front Egypt plays the major role and influences each decision. They accept Israel obtaining their rights but from a religious point of view they are extremely strict when it comes to splitting Jerusalem. Iran together with Hamas and Syria supporting Hezbollah form the second front. This front does not recognize Israel’s rights and requires a withdrawal from all occupied territories. Other Arab countries, depending on current conditions, take their place in either one of the two fronts. But these alliances change quite often. Just how these Arab countries are split Palestinians are split among themselves as well. Al Fatah and Hamas, like enemies, dig each other’s grave. This is such a hostility that while Israel’s bomb attacks in Gaza to destroy Hamas killed people over three weeks, Hamas militants enter houses of Al Fatah supporters and kill at least 20 of them, according to allegations.

Naturally, if such a split exists, Israel and the United States profit from this situation. When peace negotiations come to a dead end then on an international platform the bill is always paid by the Arabs. They don’t show any effort to fix disagreement among them. For they continue their fight over Palestine.

Actually underlying the fight over Palestine is a power struggle continuing among Iran and the Saudi Arabia-Egypt-United States triangle.

Erdoğan has just opened such a Pandora’s Box and let spirits escape. I can’t accept that the prime minister believes he could solve the Palestinian issue within his life time. For someone entering such a swamp it is unlikely to come out of the other side of the tunnel.

As long as the Arabs don’t settle their own accounts the Palestinian issue won’t be solved and I believe that the Arabs are not seriously willing to solve this issue.

Now we can ask this question together:

"Will the Arab countries that did not show as much reaction as Erdoğan take action in the future? Or be forced to take action because of public pressure or out of shame?"

The Middle East is ever so much full of intrigue that it is impossible for those in Ankara to survive on this slippery ground. Our Turkish minds work differently. For us there is black and white but no gray. Whereas in the Middle East there is only a game within another game.

Will Erdoğan be able take Hamas under control?

Many wonder, after Erdoğan’s huge efforts and steps full of risk, how Hamas will respond to these gestures. Because Erdoğan believes that Hamas should be taken seriously and be sat at a negotiation table, he is being called " Hamas’s advocate." I wonder if the prime minister will be able to convince Hamas to abandon terror and stop the daily bomb attacks on Israel?

I wonder if Hamas will make a gesture for Erdoğan? For example, would it set Israeli soldiers free upon Erdoğan’s request?

As I mentioned before, the Middle East is a region in which games are played within another game. Nobody knows what will be tomorrow or who will betray whom.

I especially don’t believe that the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, administration will be able to solve this chaos