Blinken’s Middle East tour marked by strained meetings amid Israel-Hamas conflict

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Middle East tour, aimed at mitigating the Israel-Hamas conflict, has been characterized by strained interactions with Arab leaders, with his meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara on Monday being no exception. The cold reception mirrors regional dissatisfaction over Washington’s continued support for Israel amidst its assault on Gaza, which has resulted in nearly 10,000 deaths, a third of them children.

The meeting between Blinken and Fidan, which lasted for 2.5 hours, found few areas of agreement. Turkey insisted on mutual prisoner release and requested an unconditional ceasefire with an international observation mechanism. Despite the US proposing a “humanitarian pause”, it hasn’t joined global calls for a full ceasefire.

Public anger toward Washington was visible during Blinken’s visit, with hundreds protesting at a US airbase in southeastern Turkey. Additionally, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not meet with Blinken during his visit, further highlighting the strained relationship between the two countries.

This tension isn’t new and includes disagreements over various foreign policy issues including NATO and Iraq. Adding to this tension is the delay in approval from the US Congress for a $20bn deal for 40 F-16 fighter jets and the US support for Kurdish fighters linked to PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party), which is banned by Turkey, the US and the European Union.

Despite being a strategic US ally, Turkey has been one of Israel’s harshest critics since the conflict began, accusing it of behaving like a “war criminal”. In response to the violence in Gaza, Ankara recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv.

Amidst the Gaza conflict, Erdogan is positioning Turkey as a mediator, working behind the scenes to establish a ceasefire and ensure an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Erdogan has criticized Western powers for their support for Israel amidst the Gaza bloodshed.

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