Europe has lost moral high ground over Gaza, Turkish official says

Turkish contractors 'very capable' of rebuilding war-torn strip

Fatih Tuna of the AKP says Europe's people have stood up for Palestinians even as their governments sympathise with Israel. Lizzie Porter / The National

European governments’ support for Israel during the Gaza war means they cannot criticise countries such as Turkey over their human rights records, a senior official from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party told The National.

“Before they criticise Turkey for human rights issues, they should look at themselves,” Fatih Tuna, the Justice and Development Party (AKP)’s Istanbul representative for foreign affairs, told The National.

Mr Tuna’s comments add to the growing sense in Turkey and across the Middle East that European nations who have long championed human rights have lost their credibility because of their perceived support for Israel over the past two years. The upshot is a risk of reduced leverage over countries where Europe is concerned about creeping authoritarianism and human rights violations.

“They've been preaching to the world – showing [themselves] as example countries in human rights, democracy, freedom of speech, expressing yourself,” Mr Tuna said of the European nations. “All those [values] have been killed by themselves.”

Mr Tuna directed his criticism at European governments and not at their populations as a whole, who he said had been “really great” in mustering large-scale pro-Palestine protests.

Before the EU criticises Turkey for human rights issues, they should look at themselves

Fatih Tuna,
AKP

The European Union faced criticism last week when it announced a pause on possible sanctions against Israel, which could have included suspending trade agreements and taking action against people who fuelled the conflict.

Germany and Italy are among Israel’s major arm suppliers. France provides components for weapons, while outside the EU, the US remains the country’s major source of arms.

Refugees in need

European nations’ differing responses to refugees from Syria and Ukraine also shows up double standards in attitudes to people in need, Mr Tuna said.

“When there was a crisis in Ukraine, the whole of Europe, near enough, took all the Ukrainian immigrants,” he said. “Why didn't they do the same thing for Syrians? How many thousands of them died in the Mediterranean Sea?”

The EU has provided Turkey with billions of euros in aid for Syrian refugees, in what many aid workers and analysts have described as an “outsourcing” of migration policy. Over the course of the 13-year civil war, most Syrians fled to surrounding countries including Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, while fewer made it to Europe.

The EU’s loss of credibility in the eyes of Turkish officials comes as the partners continue to negotiate a complex relationship. Turkey has been a candidate for EU membership since 1995 but few observers see it joining the bloc any time soon. Its accession has been blocked over tension with Cyprus, concerns about human rights and the independence of the Turkish judiciary.

“They need to decide what to do with Turkey,” Mr Tuna said. “We're doing everything we can. That's why it's their problem more than our problem.”

The EU – Turkey’s largest trade partner – could benefit from the country’s accession because of a young population and potential to further boost economic integration, he added. The bloc has also been looking to neighbouring countries including Nato ally Turkey to shore up its defences against Russia.

Turkey, whose defence manufacturing industry has grown significantly in recent years, is not looking exclusively to Europe but also to Gulf partners for sales of Turkish weapons. “It's really quite a good export line for us," he said. "Our neighbours are very much interested."

Destruction in Khan Younis, Gaza. AFP

Trump relationship

While Turkish officials, including Mr Tuna, have criticised the EU’s stance on Gaza, Mr Erdogan’s good relationship with US President Donald Trump and Hamas officials allowed Turkey to become a key mediator in a ceasefire being reached this month. The first stage involved an end to the fighting and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Whether the group will accept the plan's next stages, including its disarmament, has yet to be established.

Mr Trump “stated that he trusts Erdogan. And he also said that Hamas is listening to Mr Erdogan,” Mr Tuna said, when asked whether he believed Mr Trump was relying on his Turkish counterpart to mediate with Hamas.

Mr Tuna, like Mr Erdogan, describes Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide. Turkey's once-burgeoning relationship with Israel has nose-dived since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent Gaza conflict. The countries halted mutual trade last year, while stopping short of severing diplomatic relations.

Turkish officials are currently involved in negotiations over the country’s role in an international stabilisation force for Gaza. Another key player, Egypt, would like Ankara to be part of that force, although its mandate has not yet been finalised.

Mr Tuna said Turkey “is there to do anything necessary, in any measure we can do”, but the details of Gaza's governance and security cannot be defined until the bloodshed ends. Officials in Gaza say scores of Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire came into effect, some after two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack.

Presidents Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Reuters

“When there is a genocide going on, all other subjects are not on the table,” Mr Tuna said. “That should be stopped and then we can talk about other things.”

Other officials have described the next stages of the ceasefire agreement as among the most difficult. On a trip to Israel last week, US Vice President JD Vance said "we have a very tough task ahead of us" in disarming Hamas and rebuilding Gaza.

Turkish contractors could easily play a part in the war-torn strip's reconstruction, Mr Tuna said.

“Construction of Gaza is not a problem. It's just a financial issue. Regional countries, the world and Turkey are also very capable of doing that at a maximum capacity. Security and the peace have to be provided. The rest is not a problem.”

In Syria, Ankara has gained significant leverage since the downfall of Bashar Al Assad in December 2024. Nuh Yilmaz, a former deputy foreign minister, was last week appointed Turkish ambassador to Damascus, and Ankara has already confirmed it is providing training and support to the new Syrian army.

For Turkey, which shares a 900km border with its southern neighbour, supporting the new government in Damascus is “for their sake and for our sake”, Mr Tuna said.

Ankara is opposed to federal arrangements for Syria, which it fears could empower Kurdish militias in the country’s north-east. It sees them as a direct extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a separatist militant group listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU.

The group is dissolving itself in Turkey but Syrian affiliates have said the process does not apply to them and are currently in drawn-out negotiations with Damascus over the contours of their integration into the national army.

Syria firstly needs to be united, Mr Tuna said.

“Then they need to sort their justice system, the constitutional system, the military and the police force. We have a long experience to help them.”