Middle East round-up: Erdogan in pole position in Turkey
Erdogan is the man to beat in Turkey, the Palestinians are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Nakba and the fighting in Sudan continues. Here is your overview of our coverage, written by Abubakr Al-Shamahi, Middle East and North Africa Editor of Al Jazeera Digital.
Never write off Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Now in his 20th year in power in Turkey, the president must have thought that the recent elections had come at the worst possible time, given the economic crisis, not one but two devastating earthquakes, frustration among the young, less than friendly relations with the West and a real desire for change on the part of millions of his fellow Turks.
And yet, despite most polls predicting his rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, to emerge victorious in last Sunday’s presidential election, it was Erdogan who beat his challenger by about four percentage points, just surpassing 50 percent plus one. missed what was needed for a scoop. win round. Erdogan’s electoral alliance, meanwhile, won another majority in parliament.
While the race is not over – there will now be a presidential run-off between Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu on May 28 – the Turkish opposition must be demoralized and will have to recalibrate quickly. Kilicdaroglu had been marketed as the gentle one the the (Turkish for grandfather), a deliberate tactic to distinguish him from the tough Erdogan. He was a liberal who would reverse what the opposition sees as Turkey’s increasingly authoritarian turn and mend relations both inside and outside Turkey.
But to catch up to Erdogan, Kilicdaroglu and the opposition are now taking a different tack. Up for grabs are supporters of Sinan Ogan, the nationalist who finished a distant third in the first round. Gone are the lovely and cute heart gestures that Kilicdaroglu used. Instead, he has released videos of him banging on a table to presumably demonstrate his passion. He also plays on rising anti-refugee sentiment by accusing the government of letting in (an exaggerated) 10 million “irregular” migrants and promising to send them home.
Despite Kilicdaroglu’s oratorical makeover, Erdogan is now the big favourite. Moreover, Kilicdaroglu’s approach is further evidence of what I consider to be the most important outcome of the election: the undeniable rise and enduring force of nationalism in Turkey, and, as I explain in this analysis piece, the reality that Erdogan’s eventual replacement very likely. become nationalist.
Conflict in Gaza, 75 years after the Nakba
After four days of Israeli airstrikes and rocket fire from the Gaza Strip that killed at least 33 Palestinians and one Israeli, a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The PIJ has lost some of its leaders, but the conflict did not attract Hamas, the rulers of the blockaded area. The Israeli government can regard the fighting as a success. Not only was there no protracted conflict, but there was even a bump in the polls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But again, it is the citizens of Gaza who have suffered. For Toqa, a 10-year-old schoolgirl, it means losing her best friend, Mayar, who was killed on the first day of the Israeli bombing. “It’s very hard to see your child go through such a severe state of grief at such a young age,” says Alaa, Toqa’s mother.
The ceasefire in Gaza came just days before Palestinians celebrated the 75th anniversary of what they call the Nakba, the Catastrophe, on May 15. Why a catastrophe? Because it marks the establishment of the State of Israel, and for the Palestinians the mass displacement and occupation that followed. While most Palestinians were forced to flee the land that would later become Israel, some of the buildings they left behind have survived, confiscated by authorities. In Haifa, some are sold as luxury real estate, while in Bayt Nabala only the school remains, while much of the rest of the village and its lands, the story of which is recreated in this Long Read, are now part of The Israel’s main airport, Ben Gurion International.
A month of fighting in Sudan
Shaden Gardood is one of more than 600 civilians killed in fighting in Sudan in the past month. A popular singer, she lived in Omdurman, next to the capital Khartoum, where she was reportedly entangled in the crossfire between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The fighting itself shows little sign of slowing down, despite talks in Saudi Arabia. No ceasefire was agreed during these talks and both sides still seem to believe they can win.
So civilians continue to suffer, in Khartoum and across the country, with little hope of a quick fix.
And now something else
A Hebrew Bible from about AD 900 has sold for $38 million, one of the highest sums ever paid for a manuscript at auction. The so-called Codex Sassoon is leather-bound and handwritten, made from about 400 parchment leaves. It is now traveling from the United States to Israel, where it will be included in the collection of the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv.
Short
France issues arrest warrant for Lebanese central bank chief | Libyan parliament suspends rival eastern prime minister, Bashagha | Qatar and Bahrain to resume direct flights on May 25 | Iraq exhumes remains of 605 ISIL victims from mass graves | Egyptian government sells 9.5 percent of state-controlled Telecom Egypt | PUK returns to Kurdish regional government meetings after boycott | Iran calls on Iraq envoy to protest presence of ‘terrorist groups’ | Syria extends permission for border crossings after earthquake | US strengthens “defensive stance” in Gulf | Two French nationals leave Iran after release from prison | Turkey slams Charlie Hebdo’s cover of electrocuted Erdogan in bathtub |
Quote of the week
“The Tunisian democrats have not been silent. Dozens are in prison for valiantly defending their hard-won rights and freedoms, facing trumped-up charges of ‘conspiracy against the state’.” | An open letter signed by 150 academics and public figures calls for the release of Tunisian politician Rached Ghannouchi, who was sentenced this week to a year in prison after being arrested last month as part of a crackdown on the Tunisian opposition . Human Rights Watch said last week that 30 opposition figures critical of President Kais Saied had been arrested.