This issue is dedicated to Şero, the CHP cat, who will fur-ever be remembered for being at the party headquarters – even when the opposition was not.
In this week’s recap:
Ankara reacts to widening regional war
MHP chair warms new parliamentary session
Özel tries to end CHP candidate debates
Pro-gov media skips NYC mayor troubles
Domestic and diplomatic wraps
Erdoğan’s high hoops for İstanbul
Also from us this week:
Gonca Tokyol interviews volunteer/activist Dünya Akın about winter preparations in the earthquake zone. (Turkish only)
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This weekend, Israel escalated its bombings on Lebanon. Pres. Erdoğan was quick to condemn the attacks, saying: "Israel's policy of genocide, occupation, and invasion, which has been ongoing since Oct. 7, now targets Lebanon and the Lebanese people."
He also called for more action from the UN Security Council, human rights organizations and “the Islamic world.”
Erdoğan did not mention Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a strike on Beirut on Friday night. By the time Erdoğan tweeted on Saturday, Nasrallah’s death was already confirmed by Hezbollah.
In an interview Saturday, FM Hakan Fidan said that Nasrallah was an important figure in the region and for Lebanon. “I honestly think that the void left by his absence will be difficult to fill”, he told TRT.
Fidan also revealed he met with Nasrallah 10 days after the Gaza war started without going into details about the meeting's circumstances or content.
Analysts commenting to AFP connect the dim reaction from Ankara to Turkey’s rivalry with Iran.
“Unlike its relationship with Hamas, Ankara has never developed a close connection with Hezbollah, which remains firmly within Iran’s sphere of influence. In Syria, Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups have frequently obstructed Turkish interests and those of Turkish-backed Sunni groups,” Karabekir Akkoyunlu, a research associate at SOAS University of London, told Turkey recap.
MEI’s Gönül Tol on X also pointed to a split within Turkey’s Islamists when it comes to Hezbollah, adding: “I doubt many in Ankara will shed a tear over Nasrallah's killing.”
As Israel continued to bomb Lebanon, Erdoğan said Monday the UN General Assembly should recommend the use of force to stop Israel.
Then, speaking in parliament Tuesday, Erdoğan suggested Turkey would be a future target for Israel’s war and again compared Israeli Pres. Netanyahu to Hitler.
“The Israeli leadership, acting with the delirium of the promised land and with a purely religious fanaticism, will set its sights on our homeland after Palestine and Lebanon,” Erdoğan said.
While this rhetoric is mainly considered to be aimed at domestic audiences, the Turkish MFA released a statement Monday condemning the Israeli invasion of Lebanon as a “dangerous occupation attempt.”
Meanwhile, Ankara said it was ready to evacuate citizens from Lebanon, while others opted for a ferry between Tripoli and Mersin that is still running.
Following Iran's missile attack on Israel Tuesday, Ankara has mostly remained silent at the time of publication.
“While Turkey is keen to avoid being drawn into a regional war and will continue to publicly maintain its anti-Israel rhetoric, it may quietly welcome efforts to clip Iran’s wings, which could boost Turkey’s own regional influence,” Akkoyunlu said.
“In this regard, Tehran showing restraint would likely be seen as a positive outcome for Ankara.”
– Ingrid Woudwijk
See the Bahçelight: MHP chair warms new parliamentary session
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