Turkey's "Palestinian Cause"

A 758-page book by the Turkish government on the Gaza War is causing a stir in Jerusalem.

Published by the Turkish Directorate of Communications, the book, "Filistin Davamız" ("Our Palestinian Cause"), portrays Palestine as a matter for Turkey. The Jerusalem-based Katz Center for Applied Policy (JCAP) criticizes the book for going far beyond this. It reiterates Hamas's version of events, attacks Israel's legitimacy, and lays the groundwork for a long-term Turkish role in Jerusalem.

What's behind the book? JCAP researcher Turku Avci explains that the title itself is the message: "This, too, is our cause."

According to JCAP, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is pursuing a neo-Ottoman strategy. In this plan, Jerusalem is not a secondary objective, but a central goal. Researcher Ran Ichay believes Turkey intends to invade the city as the guardian of the holy sites. This role would grant Erdoğan the status he has sought for years: that of leader of the Muslim world. Ichay points to an obstacle in Islamic tradition: To become caliph, a man must be a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. Erdoğan is not.

Avci, born and raised in a secular Muslim family in Turkey and now living in Israel, says the book is written as if it were authored by Hamas itself. Israel is portrayed as a criminal state. Israelis are deprived of their human dignity. She also says Erdoğan's inner circle wants to transform the Turkish army into a more Islamic force, believing that a secular army cannot stand up to Israel.

After she spoke out in support of Israel following October 7, 2023, Turkey issued an arrest warrant for her on charges of “insulting Erdoğan.” Turkish Jews in Israel, she adds, often remain silent because they fear for their relatives in Turkey.

Growing concern

Avi Zimmerman of the JCAP says the book is designed to mobilize Turkish public opinion against Israel and, in part, against Jews as a people. He also warns against supplying Turkey with modern weapons, including F-35 fighter jets.

Israeli Minister Amichai Chikli was unequivocal: Erdoğan is not a reliable partner for NATO or the United States. He called him an enemy of the West—an Islamist ruler with neo-Ottoman imperial ambitions. Chikli also placed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the same ideological camp. This is a political assessment. The documented problem remains the official Turkish version.

What about Erdoğan's origins?

Questions about his family have also been raised. The family comes from Rize on the Turkish Black Sea coast. Some reports and a statement by Erdoğan himself connect the family to the Batumi/Adjara region of Georgia. He later emphasized that he is Turkish.

At the JCAP event, Ichay asked whether this ancestry played a role and suggested the family had been Christian about two centuries ago. This is a suspicion voiced in Jerusalem, not a proven fact. It doesn't explain the book. The book explains itself.

Conclusion: The danger described by JCAP is not a rumor about a family tree. It is an official Turkish publication, official Turkish rhetoric, and Ankara's attempt to be perceived as the protector of Jerusalem's holy sites.

Propaganda today. Strategic ambitions tomorrow. Jerusalem is watching.

Turkey, driven by Ottoman conquest mania:

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Öncü Keçeli declared that Greece's new spatial planning document has no legal effect. Turkey argued that the Greek plan neither alters existing rights to the Aegean Sea nor establishes new ones.

Athens responded immediately, reaffirming its position. The Greek government stated that Greece's position on the sovereignty and legal status of the Aegean Sea is "absolutely clear." Greece further explained that no further explanation from Turkey is necessary, as the matter is already regulated by international treaties and agreements between the two countries.

The Greek Foreign Ministry also rejected what it considered to be repeated Turkish claims. According to Athens, Turkey makes similar statements almost every time Greece publishes a new spatial planning document. Greece argued that the mere repetition of these claims neither strengthens them legally nor creates a new legal basis.

This dispute is part of a much larger and long-standing conflict between Greece and Turkey. The two countries have significant disagreements in the Aegean Sea, including territorial rights, maritime borders, airspace, and other issues under international law. As both countries are NATO members and close neighbors, the tensions between them are closely monitored by the international community.

Some critics and analysts believe that the Turkish government under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is adopting a more aggressive stance toward Greece and other neighboring countries. Some compare aspects of Turkish foreign policy to an attempt to restore Turkish influence in formerly Ottoman territories. These comparisons are not unfounded.

Israel and Greece: "Achilles Shield"

Under the Netanyahu administration, Israel and Greece have concluded a historic defense and security agreement worth approximately US$3.5 billion. The contract was signed at the Israeli Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tel Aviv. It represents the largest defense export deal in the history of Israeli-Greek relations.

The "Achilles' Shield" project.

At the heart of the agreement is the establishment of an integrated, multi-layered air and missile defense system for Greece, known there as "Achilles' Shield." "Achilles' Shield" is designed to link existing Greek systems—such as the US-made Patriot and unmanned aerial vehicles—with Israeli air defense systems of varying ranges. AI implementation is included: the system comprises state-of-the-art radar units (MMR) and a new national command and control system.