Erdogan: Palestine Crisis Will End “Rules-Based” International System

The crisis in Gaza represents “the end of the global system” because it has “brought into focus the appalling weakness of international organizations.” Word from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who during a conference at the headquarters of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) accused the West of being “an accomplice of Israel” and denounced a dangerous “vacuum of power” in international structures tasked with preserving peace and resolving conflicts as they arise. “International politics is at a sharp turn. We are seeing a vacuum of power in the international system that is becoming more evident every day. Bloodshed, oppression, and conflict have now become routine for the world, and the norms, institutions that humanity created for its own security are losing their influence,” Erdogan said, according to whom “we are witnessing the collapse of the so-called ‘rules-based’ international system that humanity built after bitter experiences, with no measures being taken to reverse this process.” The international community, the Turkish president emphasized, “has not learned lessons from the invasion of Iraq, from the conflict in Syria, or from the war between Russia and Ukraine.”

Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas will arrive in Moscow in the coming days to exchange views on the latest international developments, harmonize political positions, and strengthen bilateral relations. Abbas told the RIA Novosti news agency, “The main purpose of my visit is to hold consultations and exchange views on the latest developments in the Palestinian context and in the international arena, to harmonize positions and strengthen bilateral relations in all spheres, especially given the fact that Russia occupies an important place in world politics, in the UN Security Council, and in the Middle East. We have strong historical ties.”

The PA president praised the Kremlin’s “positive and constructive role” in tirelessly trying to find a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and achieve reconciliation between Palestinian factions. “We appreciate Russia’s role in the Quartet of international mediators and in the UN Security Council, as well as its position in supporting the achievement of peace in accordance with the international legal framework. We also appreciate Russia’s contribution to the inter-Palestinian dialog and the rapprochement of positions of various factions,” Abbas said.

Russia is deeply concerned about the escalation possibility of conflict in the Middle East following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Security Council Secretary and former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is has been in Iran in recent days for “intensive talks” with Iranian military chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri and new President Massoud Pezeshkian. According to Iranian media, Moscow and Tehran discussed ways to prevent direct conflict between Iran and the Jewish state, and Iranian authorities asked Russia to supply the Islamic Republic with advanced S-400 Triumph air defense systems “in order to anticipate air and missile strikes by Israel, where the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has discussed in recent days the possibility of launching preemptive strikes against Iran.”