Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 69, showed either complete misunderstanding about the Hamas-Israeli War or that he’s suffering from some kind of cognitive impairment. Fresh off talks with Arab and Muslim allies in Riyadh, Erdogan said the summit should put pressure on the United States to stop Israel from “occupying” the Gaza Strip. Erdogan should know best about “occupying” the Gaza strip, since t he territory was controlled by the Ottoman Empire for 500 years, before the empire was broken up after WW I in the 1920 Treaty of Sevres. Egypt received sovereignty of Gaza and managed it until the 1967 Six Day War where Egypt, together with Palestinians and six other Arab states tried to wipe Israel off the map. Erdogan knows that the Ottoman Turks ruled Gaza for 500 years and would be a good choice to rule it against if Israel can get rid of Hamas.

Making the rounds with other EU states, Erdogan plans to travel to Germany Nov. 17 and Cairo a few weeks later. But if Erdogan carries the message that Israel should be stopped from occupying Gaza, foreign leaders will question his sanity. No one thinks that Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu wants to occupy Gaza, he wants to eliminate Hamas from slaughtering Israeli civilians in the future. Since Hamas is chartered to destroy Israel and kill all Jews, it only makes sense that Netanyahu wants to live with a more friendly neighbor. President Joe Biden, 80, and his 61-year-old Secretary of State, know that Netanyahu has zero interest in occupying Gaza. But Netanyahu wants a plan for managing Gaza to prevent an influx of terrorists, like what happened in Iraq after the 2003 U.S. invasion. Netanyahu has problems handing Gaza over the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority [PA].

Biden and Blinken know that the PA couldn’t hold onto the Gaza Strip in 2007 when Hamas seized the Mediterranean costal strip by force putting it into the hands of Hamas militants. Biden and Blinken know that Hamas has fought four wars with Israel in 17 years, destroying the territory four times, with the predictable outcome of death and destruction to Gaza and its beleaguered people. Netanyahu has reservations about letting 87-year-old PA leader Mahmoud Abbas run the Gaza Strip when he cheered on Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre that slaughtered 1,400 Israeli civilians and took 240 hostages. Netanyahu has been clear that he would talk about a ceasefire only if Hamas returned the hostages kept in Gaza’s labyrinth of military tunnels. “The U.S. should increase its pressure on Israel. The West should increase pressure on Israel. It ‘s vital for us to secure a ceasefire,” Ergogan said.

Erdogan talks like Hamas has no role in ending the latest war, knowing that returning the hostages would result in an immediate ceasefire. “We cannot agree with Biden if he approaches [the conflict] by seeing Gaza as the land of occupying settlers or Israel, rather than the land of the Palestinian people,” Erdogan said, making zero sense. Israel left Gaza in 2005 and since then it’s been in the hands of Palestinians. Erdogan knows that Egypt lost control of Gaza in 1967 but, before 1920, the Ottoman Empire occupied the territory for over 500 years. No one other that Palestinians and certain Arab states think Israel wants to occupy the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu wants a responsible government capable of working with Israel to maintain stability and prosperity in the Gaza Strip. Where Erdogan thinks Israel wants to occupy Gaza is anyone’s guess, most likely Hamas propaganda.

Erdogan knows that had Hamas made peace with Israel over the last 17 years, the people would have a degree of infrastructure development and prosperity that would parallel the same prosperity seen in Israel. But no, Hamas terrorists exploit Gaza for its own agenda of destroying Israel. Hamas has received about $100 billion from oil-rich Gulf Arab States, all to wind up building military tunnels with the intent of destroying Israel. Netanyahu wants the new government to spend on desalination plants, electricity generating stations, water sewage facilities and everything else that functional society needs to advance its standard of living. Former Hamas leaders Khaled Meshaal and Ismail Haniyeh are both billionaires living in exile. How did that happen without rampant Hamas corruption? Hamas has plundered Gaza for the last 17 years and must no longer rule the territory.

Erdogan’s visit to Berlin next week will be a rude awakening with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz 100% backing Israel’s right to live in peace without Hamas or other terrorist attacks. Erdogan buys the Hamas rubbish that it’s a political movement that can’t be stopped by any military. Well the terrorists living underground in military tunnels have nothing to do with any political movement. They seek only the destruction of Israel an murder of Jews. Scholz will tell Erdogan that Hamas can no longer rule Gaza after their track record of ripping off Gaza and enriching a few Hamas leaders at the top. Erdgogan knows about occupying Gaza for 500 years. He should have some good suggestions of who should rule the new government when Hamas is finally driven from power. Netanyahu is on the same page as everyone elsee seeking a stable government for Palestinians in Gaza.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.