There was a time when it was accurate to use the term ‘Arab-Israeli conflict' to describe the dispute between the Jewish state, the Palestinians, and much of the Arab world. Yet lately, given that the upheaval regarding this troublesome spot is increasingly coming from the non-Arab Muslim world, the term has become a misnomer. From Turkey, to Iran, to Malyasia, non-Arab actors are jumping on the anti-Israel bandwagon in order to bolster domestic support and gain regional and global standing. This effectively treats the Palestinians as pawns, and risks harmful consequences for the people these nations claim to support. It is time for the Arab world to reclaim its influence and advance its own interests by working towards finally resolving this conflict.
The latest regional rift is between Israel and Turkey, the latter of which helped organise the ‘humanitarian aid flotilla' which was designed to break the Israeli blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza. The Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called the Israeli action aboard the flotilla "terrorism under the aegis of an inhuman country", saying that if Israel had "chosen to side with terrorism and bloody operations, Turkey would choose to side with law, peace, justice, Palestine and the Gaza Strip".
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