Blinken pledges more Gaza aid during Turkey visit

Ankara, Turkey – AFP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Washington was working “very aggressively” to dramatically expand the amount of aid reaching trapped civilians in Gaza.

The top US diplomat held 2.5 hours of one-on-one talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan focused on soothing the anger at both Israel and the West of one of Washington’s most strategic but difficult allies.

NATO member Turkey has been an increasingly vocal critic of the way Israel has been pursuing its month-long war against the Palestinian enclave.

Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of protesters who marched on an air base housing US forces in southeastern Turkey hours before Blinken’s arrival Sunday.

Hundreds more rallied outside the Turkish foreign ministry during his visit.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself was travelling across Turkey’s remote northeast on Monday in an apparent snub of Washington’s top diplomat.

Blinken told reporters after the meeting that Washington was aware of “the deep concern” in Turkey “for the terrible toll” in Gaza.

“We are working, as I said, very aggressively on getting more humanitarian assistance into Gaza and we have very concrete ways of doing that,” Blinken said before boarding a plane for Japan.

“I think we will see in the days ahead that the assistance can expand in significant ways,” he added without providing details.

A Turkish diplomatic source said Fidan pressed Blinken for “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza”.

“Fidan also pointed out to his US counterpart Blinken that bombing civilian targets and destroying infrastructure in Gaza is unacceptable,” the Turkish source said.

– Tough talks –

The war threatens to have broad repercussions on Washington’s relations with Turkey.

Ankara has a muscular foreign policy and stakes in conflicts across the Middle East that occasionally fail to align with those of Washington or other NATO allies.

Washington is currently anxious to see Turkey’s parliament finally ratify Sweden’s stalled drive to join the US-led NATO defence organisation.

The United States has also been tightening sanctions against Turkish individuals and companies that are deemed to be helping Russia evade sanctions and import goods for use in its war on Ukraine.

And Ankara is upset that the US Congress is holding up the approval of a deal backed by President Joe Biden to modernise Turkey’s air force with dozens of US F-16 fighter jets.

Turkey also has longstanding reservations about US support for Kurdish forces in Syria who spearheaded the fight against Islamic State group but are viewed by Ankara as an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Ankara has stepped up air strikes against armed Kurdish groups in Syria and Iraq in reprisal for an October attack on the Turkish capital claimed by the PKK in which two assailants died.