Turkey, Egypt, Qatar condemn Israel’s Gaza attacks

ANKARA, Aug 20: Turkey, Egypt and Qatar on Thursday strongly condemned recent Israeli strikes in Gaza, saying in a joint statement that Israel must comply with its obligations under a ceasefire agreement and refrain from steps that could escalate tensions.

"The mediating countries underline that the intensification of Israeli attacks undermines regional and international efforts at a critical juncture, as intensive efforts are under way to implement the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, including the meeting between the Board of Peace and Israeli officials, and constructive steps are being taken in the negotiation process," they said.

The international community and Board of Peace must take the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the ceasefire and prevent further escalation, they added.

AFP adds, After more than two years of ordering attacks on Israel's enemies across the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a tough re-election fight, is zeroing in on another perceived villain -- Turkey.

On Tuesday, warplanes bombed a base in northern Syria a short drive from the Turkish border.

Netanyahu said Turkey was looking to establish a military presence there and that, after it ignored Israel's warnings, "we made sure they understood it more clearly".

For his part, Defence Minister Israel Katz accused President RecepTayyip Erdogan of "dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria".

Ankara's relationship with Israel is also not without nuance. Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognise Israel and the countries once had robust trade, although Turkey during the Gaza war said it would halt all business with Israel.

Yair Golan, leader of Israel's centre-left opposition Democrats, called the attack in Syria "provocative and dangerous", warning it "brings us closer to a confrontation with Turkey and deepens the rift with our allies, chief among them the United States".

"Once again, military force is being employed for political considerations, and once again Israel pays the price in security," Golan said.

Gallia Lindenstrauss, a senior research fellow at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, said that Erdogan's uncompromising language did little to ease Israeli concerns.

"There are also worries that, like how Turkey hosts Hamas, it might allow militant groups to operate inside Syria that might present in the future a threat to Israel," she said.

But she noted that Israel, which has created what it calls a security zone in southern Syria, has generally accepted Turkish interests in the north.

"You see Netanyahu using the anti-Turkish card. I think he sees it as something that can maybe unify his base around him," Lindenstrauss said. �"AGENCIES