Erdogan hopes Trump will tell 'Israel' to stop war on Gaza, Lebanon
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that Donald Trump’s presidency will significantly impact the political and military landscape in the Middle East.
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Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives for the European Political Community (EPC) Summit at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, November 7, 2024. (AP)
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope on Friday that US President-elect Donald Trump would urge "Israel" to halt its war, indicating that an initial step could involve ending US arms support to the Israeli occupation regime, Reuters reported.
"Trump has made promises to end conflicts... We want that promise to be fulfilled and for Israel to be told to 'stop'," Erdogan stated to reporters aboard his flight back from Budapest, according to an official transcript.
"Mr. Trump cutting off the arms support provided to Israel could be a good start in order to stop the Israeli aggression in Palestinian and Lebanese lands," he was quoted as saying.
Turkiye has strongly condemned the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon, suspending trade with "Israel" and filing a motion to join a genocide case brought against the occupation entity by South Africa before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Erdogan also pointed out that Trump’s presidency will significantly impact the political and military landscape in the Middle East, warning that if the policies of the Biden era continue, regional deadlock and conflict would likely escalate.
In late October, The Times of Israel cited two informed sources as saying that Trump has informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he expects "Israel" to conclude its war in Gaza by the time he assumes office.
According to a former Trump administration official and an Israeli source, the message was initially conveyed during Netanyahu’s visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida last July.
Read more: 'Do what you have to do,' Trump tells Netanyahu after +42,000 killed
In favor of 'Israel'
During his tenure as US President from 2017 to 2021, Trump implemented several policies and actions in favor of "Israel".
In December 2017, he formally recognized occupied al-Quds as "Israel's" capital, breaking with decades of US policy. He later moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to al-Quds in May 2018.
In a move that contradicted international law, Trump recognized in March 2019 Israeli "sovereignty" over the Golan Heights, a region "Israel" occupied from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War.
The Republican president-elect mediated the normalization agreements in 2020, through which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco normalized relations with the Israeli occupation regime.
Moreover, the Trump administration cut over $200 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority and also stopped contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides aid to Palestinian refugees.
In addition, Trump unveiled in January 2020 his "Peace to Prosperity" plan, also known as the "Deal of the Century," aimed at allegedly resolving the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, which included the recognition of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and proposed a fragmented Palestinian state with limited sovereignty.
The Trump administration also continued to fuel the Israeli war machine, signing a $3.8 billion annual military aid package as part of the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) initiated under the Obama administration.
In a related context, the Turkish President also praised Trump’s "tireless campaign" in his bid for reelection, noting that the US-President elect "put up a great struggle during the election, which included an assassination attempt."
"He continued his campaign very, very strongly... Despite all these pressures, including the entire judicial process, Trump passed the test very successfully without getting discouraged or tired. He won."
Read more: Will Trump’s 2nd term bring change to the US' Middle East strategy?
