Eurasia Press & News
Latest Developments
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on September 7 called for the formation of an Islamic alliance to halt what he called “the growing threat of expansionism” from the Jewish state. Falsely claiming that Israeli officials “openly state” their desire to occupy the entire region, Erdogan maintained that an alliance of Islamic countries is the “only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry, and Israeli state terrorism.” Erdogan alleged that, after Gaza, “the turn will come for other countries in the region. It will come for Lebanon, Syria. They will set their eyes on our homeland between the Tigris and the Euphrates.” He then applauded Hamas — an Iran-backed, U.S.-designated terrorist organization — for “defending Gaza” and “Islamic lands,” including Turkey.
In a post on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz denounced Erdogan for spreading “a dangerous lie and incitement,” adding that “Israel is defending its borders and citizens” from Iran’s axis of terror proxies.
Expert Analysis
“Erdogan is making overt calls for Muslim powers to isolate, encircle and threaten Israel. His comments come on the back of Turkey’s application to join BRICS and ongoing consideration to apply for membership in the Shanghai Co-operation Organization, entities that exist to undermine the cohesion of the West. Erdogan is redefining Turkey as an adversary of the transatlantic alliance. Every instance of shrugging off Erdogan’s rhetoric as mere hyperbole is another boundary he succeeds in pushing past.” — Sinan Ciddi, FDD Non-Resident Senior Fellow
“Erdogan’s call for Islamic countries to form an alliance to isolate Israel is likely to fail and fail spectacularly. Israel is continuing to work productively with its neighbors and other nations that have joined the Abraham Accords. Many countries are seeing the economic and diplomatic benefits of normalizing relations with Israel and improving relations with the United States. Even while Erdogan has called for an economic embargo on Israel, trade between Israel and Turkey continues. This latest rhetoric by Erdogan will be another failed gambit to parrot Hamas propaganda to appeal to his political base.” — Tyler Stapleton, Director of Congressional Relations at FDD Action
Turkey Eyes BRICS Membership
During a speech in Istanbul on September 1, Erdogan maintained that “Turkey can become a strong, prosperous, prestigious and effective country if it improves its relations with the East and the West simultaneously.” Two days later, a spokesman for Turkey’s ruling Islamist AKP Party noted that “a process is underway” for Ankara to join the BRICS alliance of emerging economies. BRICS — named after founding nations Brazil, Russia, China, India, and South Africa — touts itself as an alternative to perceived Western-dominated institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The bloc expanded to include Iran, the UAE, Ethiopia, and Egypt at the start of the year and has invited Saudi Arabia to join.
Turkey Seeks to Repair Ties With Egypt, Syria
Relations between Turkey and Egypt broke down in 2013 when now Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi — then Egypt’s army chief — ousted and jailed Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in a military coup. Erdogan, whose party is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, spent years attacking Sisi’s government. However, the two countries have begun to mend ties, evidenced by Sisi’s visit to Ankara on September 4 — his first official trip to Turkey since the 2013 coup.
Additionally, more than a decade after severing diplomatic relations with Damascus at the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, Erdogan said on July 4 that he is prepared to invite Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin — a backer of the Syrian regime — to Turkey to begin a “new process” of normalization efforts. Erdogan told Turkish media on July 7 that Ankara “will extend” the invitation to Assad “at any time.”
Erdogan explained on September 7 that Ankara’s overtures to Cairo and Damascus are intended to forge “a line of solidarity against the growing threat of expansionism” from Israel.
