- The author is the former editor-in-chief of the Turkish Daily News and served as chief advisor to late Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel, late Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Türkiye's relations with Israel have had their ups and downs, but Ankara has never challenged the right of the Israeli state to exist, nor has it ever shown disrespect toward the people of the Jewish state. Türkiye has always promoted “peace at home and peace in the world” as its foreign policy motto, with special emphasis on the Middle East.
All that Türkiye has done over the decades is stand by the suffering Palestinian masses – people who have been underdogs not only within Israel but across the entire region, living in unacceptable conditions in refugee camps.
Türkiye has always stood by the Palestinian child, the Palestinian woman, the Palestinian elderly, and the ordinary man in the street – all of whom have been targets of violence, torture, and destruction for decades. In recent years, Türkiye's criticism of Israeli policies and actions has grown simply because the administration of the Jewish state has fallen into the hands of ultraconservative Orthodox Jews manipulated by religious zealots.
Turks are aware that there are Israelis who detest the policies of the extreme right-wing politicians and are raising their voices against them – and respect that struggle. Yet Turks also see that the policies of the Netanyahu administration are not only pushing the Middle East toward an inferno but are pushing the Israeli state toward self-destruction.
It all started during the First Intifada in December 1987, when Palestinians took to the streets to protest Israeli occupation. It was a largely nonviolent movement – street protests, no arms, no shooting, no missiles. The Israelis responded with heavy-handed tactics, and the world watched as Israeli soldiers broke the bones of a Palestinian child for throwing a stone. The world rallied behind the Palestinian movement, as my dear friend Yasser Arafat called those children "my stone generals." This ultimately led the international community to press Israel to accept a two-state formula and the creation of the Palestinian Authority – a body that was meant to eventually pave the way for Palestinian statehood.
The Palestinian Authority failed to live up to the expectations of the Palestinian people. Riddled with corruption and nepotism, and further destabilized by the death of Arafat, the Palestinian Authority found itself unable to fully meet the aspirations of the Palestinian people. Struggling with internal difficulties and deeply affected by the loss of Arafat, it gradually lost the trust of those it was meant to serve. The Second Intifada, which began in September 2000, reflected the depth of that frustration, and regrettably the Western world turned its back on the Palestinians.
Ever since, Israel has been suppressing the Palestinians in a systematic manner, expanding its territory through deception, and establishing illegal settlements, particularly in the West Bank. All the world has offered in response is a futile and feeble reaction. Türkiye, however, has stood out as the most consistent advocate for the suffering Palestinian masses on every international forum – and has, as a result, drawn the hostility of Israeli hardliners.
The Israeli assault on Gaza following the Hamas attack of October 2023 reduced the entire territory to rubble, killing 67,123 Palestinians, including 20,179 children. The world condemned the Hamas attack, but opinion shifted sharply against Israel after it obliterated Gaza and openly carried out what many have called an act of genocide against the Palestinian people, as the international community looked on. Türkiye made its voice heard loudly and clearly – but the world remained deaf.
Goals unachieved
That silence only emboldened the ultraconservative Netanyahu government, which then set its sights on Iran. Netanyahu and his allies in the White House convinced US President Donald Trump that Iran posed an immediate threat to the United States. Together, they launched a military campaign against Tehran on Feb. 28, with the declared aims of ending the rule of the mullahs, destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities, and dismantling the Iranian military. However, none of these objectives were achieved.
Today, many Americans are questioning why the United States allowed itself to be dragged into Netanyahu's adventure, why it is bankrolling a failing Israeli economy, and why America has become increasingly isolated in the world as a consequence of the Israeli government's decisions. Israel's global image is in ruins.
What Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants is simple: Israeli children and Palestinian children being able to sleep peacefully in their beds – without fear, without destruction, in a secure home in their respective homelands. But so long as the policies of Israel's hardliners continue, those children will never know a safe night's sleep or have reason to hope for a better future.
Threatening Türkiye – which fields the second-largest army in NATO after the United States – with statements such as "after Iran, you are next" or claims that "eastern Anatolia is part of the promised holy land" is nothing short of an invitation to catastrophe.
World leaders express grave concern that Iran's clerical regime must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. Yet no one speaks of the fact that an increasingly reckless Netanyahu sits atop an arsenal of nearly 90 nuclear warheads. Should they not be demanding that Israel relinquish those weapons as well?
*Opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Anadolu
