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The 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas came to an end on 21 May 2021 as both sides accepted a cease-fire brokered by Egypt. Israeli’s assault on Gaza exacted a devastating toll as the Israeli army killed 248 Palestinians, including 66 children, and left more than 1,900 wounded. Meanwhile, the Israeli armed forces reported that the rockets launched by Hamas from Gaza killed one Israeli soldier and 12 civilians, including two children. In the end, both Israel and Hamas declared victory, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that they had destroyed Hamas’s underground network, weapons laboratories, and rocket factories in addition to killing more than 200 Hamas militants, whereas Hamas leaders praised the resistance shown by the Palestinians against a much stronger opponent.
The actor that played the most important role in bringing this fresh wave of fighting between Israel and Hamas to an end was Egypt. While the Israeli military continued its assault on Gaza, the Egyptian diplomats were exploring ways to stop the humanitarian crisis that was unfolding in the enclave. On May 12, for instance, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry spoke with his Israeli counterpart, condemning Israeli attacks on Palestinian territories as well as cautioning against an escalation of violence. Three days later, on May 15, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad Hafez revealed that Egypt was in talks with the Palestinian and Israeli sides in order to stop the bloodshed. Equally importantly, Hafez claimed that the Egyptian government was in conversation with the United States about the issue. Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry also declared Egypt’s intention to work towards achieving a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in a United Nations Security Council meeting that was held on May 16. During the conflict, the Egyptian government opened the Rafah border that connects Gaza to Egypt as a show of solidarity with Palestinians, while the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pledged $500 million for rebuilding the Gaza Strip.
The diplomatic efforts undertaken by the Egyptian government finally came to fruition as Israel and Hamas agreed on a cease-fire agreement on May 21, putting an end to the 11-day war. It is important to note that Egypt’s role as mediator in this conflict was acknowledged by a number of international actors. Early on in the crisis, in a press conference held on May 13, for instance, the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki voiced the United States’ expectation that “important countries” of the region, such as Egypt, Qatar, and Tunisa should convince Hamas to deescalate and move towards putting an end to the conflict. In another press conference on May 20, the United States President Joe Biden praised Egypt’s efforts to stop the fighting in Gaza. After the cease-fire agreement was reached, President Biden held a phone conversation with Egyptian President Sisi on May 24, where he expressed his appreciation of Egypt’s efforts in brokering the deal between Israel and Hamas. The U.S Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also paid an official visit to Egypt last week and, similarly to President Biden, acknowledged the important diplomatic role Egypt played in the latest crisis. Finally, in a rally held in Qatar on May 21, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh also thanked Egypt for its efforts during the 11-day conflict with Israel as well as its support for the Palestinians.
The main reason behind Egypt’s success as a diplomatic player in brokering a deal between Israel and Hamas is its ability to talk to every major party in this conflict, especially Hamas. As is well known, the United States and a number of Western powers designate Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, as a terrorist organization and refuse to enter any kind of diplomatic contact with it. Egypt, on the other hand, even though its past with Hamas is problematic, has influence over Hamas and Hamas leaders especially since the relationship between Egypt and Hamas has started to improve in 2017. In this sense, Egypt has the ability to play the role of an influential mediator between the Western countries and Hamas in conducting any kind of diplomatic talks in an effort to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Moreover, Egypt’s good relationship with Israel is another major factor that bolsters Egypt’s place in the diplomatic arena and highlights its role in the Middle East. Finally, even though the Biden administration’s position towards the Sisi regime has been ambivalent so far, the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas has once again proven Egypt to be very important for the United States in the region, at least for the foreseeable future.
On the other hand, Egypt’s success as mediator in this 11-day conflict sheds light once again on Turkey’s diplomatic isolation and how it lost its ability to play a significant part in the region. In the past, President Erdoğan has consistently portrayed himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause. In the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas, Turkey has strongly backed the Palestinians, as the government officials condemned Israeli attacks in very strong terms, with President Erdoğan going as far as labeling Israel a “terror state.” Turkey also made some efforts to in the international arena to put an end to Israeli attacks in Gaza but they brought little to no results.
The reason why Turkey could not play any role in navigating the conflict between Israel and Hamas is the fact that, contrary to Egypt, Turkey is in no position to be able to talk to any of the parties involved, except the leaders of Hamas, with whom it has a cordial relationship. As is well known, Turkey’s relationship with Israel has been at rock-bottom levels since 2009 and it is highly doubtful that Israel would accept any offers of mediation from Turkey on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Moreover, Biden administration’s relationship with the Turkish government is fraught with tensions, with issues such as Turkey’s purchase of S-400 missiles from Russia and the United States’ support of the Kurdish forces in Northern Syria being among the many bones of contentions between the two countries. It is worth noting that White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, in her press briefing quoted above, did not count Turkey among the countries that could play a role in mediating the conflict between Israel and Hamas. In this sense, it is obvious that Turkey’s diplomatic isolation makes it very difficult for it to have any significant influence in the region. In order to recover its role in the diplomatic arena, Turkey should go back to pursuing a more rational foreign policy and improve its relations with the major players of the world.
