The background to the postponed Erdogan-Biden meeting and… the curses on Netanyahu

There is a strong background to the decision to postpone Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the US and his meeting with Joe Biden. It all started with the publication of OdaTV, which reported that the visit planned for May 9 will not take place because of the aid package that the Americans gave to Israel. This publication was not refuted by the “Misinformation Countering Center” of the Communication Directorate of the Turkish presidency, as it usually does in cases of fake news.

Bloomberg then reported in a report that the meeting would go ahead as normal, but a few hours later reported that it had been postponed, citing an official who said the postponement was related to a change in Erdogan’s schedule. A White House spokesman said the meeting was never announced. And according to the publication of the international news agency, Turkey and the USA will reschedule the meeting.

What American officials say about Erdogan’s visit

US officials, who asked not to be named, confirmed that the Turkish side had withdrawn the visit, but that the Turkish president may want to come at a more convenient time later.

The scheduling of the meeting coincided with mutual efforts to strengthen defense and trade ties, at a time when the Israel-Hamas war continues in Gaza and after Iran and Israel attacked each other’s territory, raising fears that a wider conflict in the Middle East may be coming. Turkey is a key US ally in the Middle East that also provides some military support to Ukraine against invading Russian forces.

The meeting is at a difficult time

The postponed meeting would come at a sensitive time in their political careers. Biden faces a rematch with his 2020 opponent, former President Donald Trump, in the November election. A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll this week found Biden ahead in just one of seven states most likely to decide the outcome.

Erdogan, who has led Turkey since 2003, suffered an embarrassing defeat in municipal elections last month, with voters across the country turning against his AK party. Although parallels cannot easily be drawn, in both countries inflation contributed to a sense of gloom and anger about the governments in power.

Bilateral relations are in crisis

If the meeting between the Turkish president and the US president were to take place, it would be the first bilateral visit to Washington since 2019, when Erdogan met with Donald Trump. Erdogan and Biden have met a few times at international summits and spoken by phone since the Democratic US president took office in January 2021.

Turkey and the US recently held talks to improve security and energy ties and increase purchases of Turkish explosives to support Ukraine against Russia. The two countries have confirmed plans to jointly produce 155mm artillery shells – which Ukraine desperately needs against Russian forces – by next year.

Still, ties have been strained for years by Turkey’s acquisition of a Russian S-400 missile defense system and U.S. support for a Syrian Kurdish militia that Turkey considers a mortal threat, among other disputes. The US went ahead with the sale of $23 billion worth of F-16 warplanes, missiles and bombs to Turkey after Ankara ratified Sweden’s entry into NATO in January.

Erdoğan launched a tirade against Netanyahu

US-Turkey strained relations over Israel

Despite this, relations between the US and Turkey are strained also because of Israel. An illustrative example is the harsh criticism that the Turkish president launched towards the USA, saying that no one can silence him and demand that he not support the Palestinians.

Addressing the United States specifically, he argued that it is a “great shame and injustice” that the Palestinian people are not a full member of the UN. “The step taken in this direction in the Security Council last week faced the US veto and was blocked.

With this decision, the US also ignored the will of other member states of the Security Council. We do not accept this decision. With its unconditional military and diplomatic support for Israel, the US government is not contributing to the solution. It causes the problem to grow even more.”

Erdoğan curses Netanyahu

Regarding Netanyahu in his recent statements he again likened him to Hitler, but also unleashed curses against Netanyahu: “O Netanyahu, my wish is this: Lord, show yourself as Almighty and lead these Zionists, especially Netanyahu , to destruction”.

Once again, the Turkish president reiterated that Hamas is not a terrorist organization: “We cannot be among those who slander Hamas as a terrorist organization just because Israel and its Western supporters want it.”