23 October 2018•Update: 24 October 2018
By Aydogan Kalabalik
ANKARA
Some Arab intellectuals and journalists praised Turkey on Tuesday for its consistent stance over Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's case.
Egyptian journalist Saliha Allam told Anadolu Agency that Turkey is handling the situation well and negative reports by Gulf media about Ankara are baseless.
Referring to the dismissal of five senior government officials from service and another 18 arrests in Saudi Arabia, Allam said: "The crown prince is sacrificing the people around him to save himself from the consequences of the incident.
"The people of Saudi Arabia, the opposition, and even the pro-regime bodies cannot even predict what those in power will do afterward," Allam said.
Egyptian politician Mehdi Hamdan said the decisions of the Saudi government are aimed to protect the crown prince. "The steps taken are clear efforts to keep the world's eyes away from the allegations against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman."
'Turkey proves itself as a state of law'
Egyptian researcher and writer Mustafa Zahran underlined that Turkey is handling the matter lawfully.
Mustafa Zahran said that Turkey had proven itself as a state of law.
"Turkish officials have been very consistent and calm in communicating to Saudi Arabia and giving statements to the public since the beginning of the incident. They managed the crisis very well," he said.
Stressing the fact that Saudi Arabia did not show the same consistency in this process, Zahran said the Gulf partnership will be different after Khashoggi's death.
"Turkey's solid stance over the Khashoggi case has shaken the alliance of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The anti-Turkey media campaign backed by Muhammad bin Salman has also failed," he concluded.
Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
After denying knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts for two weeks, Saudi Arabia said he was killed during a "brawl" inside the consulate.
His body has not been recovered, nor has Saudi Arabia explained its shifting narrative on what transpired.
On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Khashoggi's murder was premeditated, adding that his country had strong evidence showing that it was planned.
