Jihad on Israel: Where Does Turkey Stand?
by Burak Bekdil • October 10, 2023 at 5:00 am
When, on October 7, the terrorist group Hamas launched a barbaric attack on Israel, killing more than 900 Israeli men, women and children (and wounding thousands more), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, instead of his usual inflammatory anti-Israel rants, uncharacteristically advised restraint to both sides.
The rise of political Islam in Turkey in the past two decades, however, and Erdoğan's inherent anti-Zionism -- he once called Zionism a crime against humanity -- have apparently left an indelible mark on the Turkish psyche.
The militant Islamist newspaper Yeni Akit called the Hamas terror campaign a "historic victory." Its story went on to detail, "here is how many Zionists have been killed." Presumably, the more Zionist bodies, the better. This newspaper's journalists are regular guests on Erdoğan's private jet.
Turkish Islamists are accusing Israel of not helping Hamas by refusing to give it electricity, money, weapons, equipment and training to Gaza residents to kill more Israelis.
There is fragile peace between Ankara and Jerusalem. In theory, Erdoğan reconciled with Israel, but diplomatic relations were fully restored only after his vow to isolate Israel internationally had brought Turkey a heavy geopolitical cost.
The fanatical anti-Israeli legacy of Erdoğan has "successfully" poisoned an already xenophobic society; it will probably take generations to clean up.
When, on October 7, the terrorist group Hamas launched a barbaric attack on Israel, killing more than 900 Israeli men, women and children (and wounding thousands more), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, instead of his usual inflammatory anti-Israel rants, uncharacteristically advised restraint to both sides.
The rise of political Islam in Turkey in the past two decades, however, and Erdoğan's inherent anti-Zionism -- he once called Zionism a crime against humanity -- have apparently left an indelible mark on the Turkish psyche. In addition to his balanced, ostensibly unbiased, advice for restraint, Erdoğan has also said that a Palestinian state is a requirement that cannot be delayed.
