The Palestinian Question in Turkish Foreign Policy from 1990s to 2010s

Abstract

For several reasons the Question of Palestine has been closely followed by Turkey especially after the establishment of State of Israel. Turkey’s engagement with Palestinian territories is beyond her historical ties with it. At first, until 1990s, Palestinian issue served Turkish foreign policy to manage its relationship with the Arab World starting from 1960s. The other side of the coin was Turkey’s strained relations with Israel. The Oslo Peace Process between Israel and Palestinians enabled Turkey to boost its relations with Israel, reaching level of military partnership. After 2000s, Turkey’s balanced Palestinian policy has been dramatically changed and Turkey apparently became the leading advocate of “the Palestinian cause.” This article focuses on the evaluation of Turkey’s Palestinian policy and the logic behind it.