Israel worried by Erdogan's meddling in Palestinian affairs
Israel believes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to gain some control over Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority and is therefore trying to influence the Palestinian battle to succeed Mahmoud Abbas.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel were surprised to hear Turkey’s announcement on Dec. 13 that former Fatah senior Mohammed Dahlan is on the country’s most wanted list for terrorism. Previously, in November 2018, Turkey had accused Dahlan of involvement in the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Ankara, the failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016, and for trying to damage the Turkish lire. Turkey has now placed a price of 10 million Turkish lire ($1.75 million) on Dahlan’s head.
In a conversation with Al-Monitor, one of Dahlan’s close associates rejected the Turkish accusations. “That’s crazy,” he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Even [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan doesn’t believe that Dahlan has any connection to the coup against him.”
