Even after strongly criticising the US and its Western allies for supporting Israel’s atrocities in the Gaza Strip, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has agreed to the actions of the West! President Erdoğan recently backed a proposal by Sweden to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), a collective security system led by the US. He also submitted the proposal to the National Legislature (of Turkey) for approval. As expected, Sweden, a neighbour of Russia, has welcomed President Erdoğan’s gesture.

It may be noted that the Kremlin is furious with NATO’s increasing influence across Europe. Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin mentioned the issue after declaring a war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The Russian strongman had also mentioned that one of the main reasons for invading Ukraine was NATO’s growing influence in the former Soviet Republic and Kiev’s willingness to join the anti-Russian military alliance.

Meanwhile, Sweden and Finland are trying hard to get permanent membership of NATO, defying Russia’s threats. In the past, Turkey, popularly known as a close ally of Russia, had opposed Sweden and Finland’s move to join NATO. However, a sudden change in Ankara’s position is significant especially when Israel and the Palestinian Hamas Movement are engaged in an armed conflict in West Asia.

In a separate development, the US has warned Israel, saying that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) must distinguish between Hamas fighters and innocent Palestinians, and protect the Gazans. The Joe Biden Administration‘s warning is considered significant at a time when most countries across the globe call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. They have also urged Israel to allow the Gazans to get access to humanitarian aid.

During their telephonic conversations, President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu that the “safety and security of ordinary Palestinian citizens” must be ensured in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. According to a statement issued by the White House, the US President reminded Prime Minister Netanyahu to protect the lives and Right to Property of common Palestinian people while carrying out attacks on Hamas bases.

However, it seems that Israel is not ready to abide by International Law. The IDF targeted Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza on its 25th day of continuous bombardment. The strikes reportedly killed more than a 100 Palestinians in the refugee camp. The number of children killed in Gaza in just three weeks has surpassed the annual number of children killed across the world’s conflict zones – in more than 20 countries – since 2019, reported Save the Children. At least 3,195 children have been reportedly killed in Gaza by Israeli air strikes since October 7 (2023), compared to a total of 2,985 children killed across 24 countries in 2022, 2,515 across 24 countries in 2021, and 2,674 across 22 countries in 2020.

About 40% of Gaza’s total estimated death toll of more than 7,703 comprised children, with a further 1,000 children reportedly missing and assumed to be buried under rubble, and an additional 6,360 children having been injured. According to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders), Israel’s power cuts and total siege of the already besieged Gaza put more children at risk of dying from injuries due to a shortage of medicines, including anaesthesia, meaning there is hardly a choice left as “children have to get amputated sans pain relievers”.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das