The intervention of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was decisive for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel his attendance at the Gaza summit held on Monday in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, in Egypt, according to diplomatic sources quoted on condition of anonymity by several media, who claim that Erdoğan – after intense diplomatic work and with the support of other leaders – finally managed to get Netanyahu not to attend the meeting.
The Turkish president, along with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and US President Donald Trump, signed in the Egyptian city a declaration that formalises the ceasefire in Gaza, considered a key step towards the end of two years of Israeli offensive on the Strip. The agreement establishes Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and the United States as guarantors of the cessation of hostilities.
Netanyahu’s absence was particularly conspicuous given that the summit was addressing a historic agreement to which Israel was a direct party. The Israeli press had already anticipated over the weekend that the prime minister might not attend; however, on Monday morning, official Egyptian sources informed agencies that Netanyahu would in fact travel to Sharm el-Sheikh.
According to some sources, “the invitation to Netanyahu would have been arranged during his trip to the Knesset with Trump from Ben Gurion airport”. During that trip, it was Trump who suggested accompanying him to the meeting in Egypt, to which Netanyahu agreed. Subsequently, the US president telephoned Sissi to ask him to extend an official invitation to the Israeli leader, to which the Egyptian president agreed: hence official Egyptian sources confirmed the participation of the Israeli politician.
Shortly afterwards, however, the scenario changed completely. Netanyahu’s office issued a statement claiming that the invitation came not from Egypt but directly from Trump, and that he would not be able to attend due to the Jewish holiday. The Times of Israel daily recalled in this regard that Israeli leaders avoid travelling on the Sabbath or holidays, except in exceptional circumstances.
The Turkish president threatened to skip the summit if Netanyahu attended
However, the mainstream media in Turkey reported in the last few hours, citing diplomatic sources, that the cancellation was in fact due to Erdoğan’s firm opposition. The first indication of the Turkish president’s rejection came when his plane avoided landing at Sharm el-Sheikh airport.
The Turkish press claims that Erdoğan ordered his pilot to stand by, circling in the air over the Red Sea: 19 minutes in total, a time that the Turkish leader reportedly spent on intense diplomatic demarches showing his total rejection of Netanyahu’s participation, a position that was supported by other leaders in the region attending the summit. In the meantime, news spread that Netanyahu had cancelled his trip, and it was then that the Turkish presidential plane resumed its descent and finally landed in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Indeed, the Israeli daily Israel Hayom confirmed that Netanyahu’s possible presence had generated strong resistance among the attending leaders, some of whom openly threatened to boycott the Gaza summit if the Israeli prime minister came to Sharm el-Sheikh. According to this media, Erdoğan warned that he would return to Ankara if Netanyahu participated: and his threat had an effect, as the Israeli leader chose not to participate despite Trump‘s insistence.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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