by Kamran Gasanov
[REGNUM] Since the IDF's operation in Gaza, which claimed tens of thousands of lives, Israel has become Turkey's number one enemy. Israeli experts, meanwhile, believe that after Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, Ankara poses the most serious threat to their country's security.
A curious fact: when the State of Israel was founded, its main threats came from Arab countries—Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and even Saudi Arabia. Today, its main rivals are Shiite Iran, with its network of proxies from Lebanon to Yemen, and Sunni Turkic Türkiye.
| That’s because the Arab countries repeatedly blunted their teeth on Israel, and have learnt better. Whether or not the IRGC has yet absorbed the same lesson, they’ve still been pretty thoroughly disarmed for the moment. |
| Turkey is waging a direct proxy war via the Hamas planners they’re hosting and, of course, the regular Gaza flotillas full of idiots they send off with such fanfare. Warm, rather than cold or hot. |
"Those who follow in Hitler's footsteps will end up like all tyrants throughout history," he said, referring to Benjamin Netanyahu and his war crimes in the Gaza Strip. "Under the current administration, Israel is nothing more than a factory churning out instability and chaos," he added.
Comparing any of their politicians to Hitler offends Israelis in much the same way that accusations of mass murder of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire offend Turks. Incidentally, Netanyahu, who has long and steadfastly refused to recognize the Armenian Genocide, broke with this consensus in an interview.
As expected, Netanyahu's office didn't let Erdoğan's attack go unanswered. This time, he reminded him not of the Armenians, but of the Kurds, which is no less painful for Turkey's Justice and Development Party, especially at a time when it has launched a process of disarming the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and reconciling with Turkey's Kurds.
"The anti-Semitic dictator Erdogan, who commits genocide against the Kurds, supports the terrorist organization Hamas, oppresses his own people and imprisons political opponents, is the last one who can preach morality to the State of Israel," the Netanyahu administration said in a statement.
The day before, Erdogan called the Israeli government a "criminal network" that is posing a threat to Turkey with its attacks in Syria and Lebanon. It's difficult to be definitive about Lebanon, as it's not Erdogan's "office," but Iran's. The Islamic Republic stands behind Hezbollah.But Syria is truly Turkey's domain. Israel occupies the Golan Heights and periodically launches forays into the southern provinces or bombs Damascus and former Iranian, now Turkish, bases in the remaining provinces.
| I wondered what they’d been bombing in Syria. The latest report didn’t say, just that they’d been busy there. |
If you look at the map, the frontline between Turkey and Israel is quite extensive. It includes Syria and Palestine, where Erdogan supports Hamas. It also includes the so-called "Kurdistan."
During the Iranian campaign, Israeli intelligence Mossad tried to involve the Iraqi Kurds (PJAK) in the war against the ayatollah regime, but Ankara thwarted these plans by threatening to strike them if they attacked Tehran.
| Ahhh. I’d wondered what happened there. |
| And Israel apparently has quietly based a small unit in Somaliland for a bit, unbeknown to either Somalia or Turkey. Heaven only knows what mischief they’ve been getting up to… |
| Uh huh. Quite unlike the work Sultan Recep Tayip Erdogan I “the much beloved” has been doing to reassemble the Ottoman empire, amirite? |
| The what?? First I’ve heard of that! |
The entire Eastern Mediterranean region can be added to the listed fronts of confrontation. Cyprus, Greece, and Israel are forming a military alliance aimed at containing Turkey and advancing energy projects, such as the EastMed gas pipeline.
Israel is reacting nervously to Turkish lawmakers' attempts to legislate the "Blue Homeland" concept, which aims to restore Turkey's former influence in the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Black Seas.
| See? There’s the neo-Ottoman thing again. |
| Ya think? |
| Such insight, those Israeli analysts — able to see the nose on their face. |
Turkey is a NATO member, the bloc's southeastern flank, a window on the Middle East and an important player in the Black and Mediterranean Seas, as well as in Syria, and this factor limits Israel's options.
| About that. Why are we keeping Turkey in NATO again? They’re less helpful than France or Spain, nowadays. |
| But he doesn’t criticize Turkey, which definitely deserves it. |
To be fair, despite the mutual hostility and long-standing threats, neither side wants to allow a direct confrontation. It's worth noting that the latest report from Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) notes that the 40-day war between the US and Israel against Iran has changed the balance of power in the Middle East.
Turkish politicians, witnessing the aggression against Iran, said that Turkey could be the next target. Therefore, they needed to strengthen their military-industrial complex, air defense systems, and the protection of critical infrastructure. And this refers to potential attacks from not only Iran but also Israel.
| Why would Iran attack Turkey? |
| The better to communicate their insults to Bibi’s shell-like ear? Goody. |
| I searched the Ben Gurion Canal, and discovered it’s a thing: From May in the Jerusalem Post: Israel needs a Suez alternative, the Ben-Gurion Canal offers one The Ben-Gurion Canal would give the world a new trade route while boosting Israel’s economy and strategic power. And from early 2024 in the Times of Israel: The Ben Gurion Canal: Vision Amidst Upheaval |