US envoy cautions Israel against trying to box Turkey out of Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey cautions Israel against trying to box Ankara out of efforts to secure the ceasefire in Gaza, arguing that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has played a productive role in coaxing Hamas to cooperate.

During an interview at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, Barrack is asked about Israel’s fervent opposition to Turkey contributing troops to the International Stabilization Force tasked with securing Gaza in place of the IDF.

Barrack argues that both Turkey and Qatar have been able to play critical mediating roles between Israel and Hamas because they haven’t heeded calls from critics to outlaw the terror group.

Barrack says that US President Donald Trump called Erdogan hours before the Gaza ceasefire was reached last October, requesting his assistance in bringing two Hamas leaders on board.

“President Erdogan, [Foreign Minister] Hakan Fidan, [Intelligence chief] Ibrahim Kalin all spent that afternoon and brought those two Hamas leaders over,” Barrack recalls. “It could have never happened had they agreed with us that Hamas was a foreign terrorist organization and that you have to exclude them.”

“If you invited Turkey into that [ISF], they would help with avoiding what’s happening now, which is atrocities, violations. They can speak the language,” Barrack continues.

“I’ve been consistent [in telling] Israel that inclusion is the only answer. Exclusion is short-term,” he says.

Barrack then appears to call out those arguing that Israel’s critics are biased against Jews.

“The world is not antisemitic. I grew up as a Lebanese Catholic in a very Jewish neighborhood. Everybody’s done business with Jews. That’s not the issue. Zionism was a question as to a definition. But the strategic future of it cannot be this harsh,” the ambassador says.

He laments the “horrible rhetoric” being exchanged between the two countries and says, “We have to figure out a way to solve it.”