Turkey

Ahed Tamimi: Serial provocateur since childhood in the village of Nabi Saleh

On December 15, 2017, Palestinians in the village of Nabi Saleh (northwest of Ramallah) held their "weekly riot." During the riot local Palestinians documented two girls aggressively taunting and provoking IDF soldiers. In the video one of the girls is seen kicking and punching two soldiers. The soldiers exercised restraint and did not respond to the provocation.
Read more...

News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (December 13-19, 2017)

It is approximately two weeks since the Trump recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel, and demonstrations of rage continue in the Palestinian arena, although with less intensity than what some of the Palestinians hoped for. Demonstrations and protest meetings continue in the Arab and Muslim states, especially Jordan and Turkey (where last week a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was held).
Read more...

The Collapse of the Islamic State: What Comes Next?

On the ground, the Islamic State no longer exists as a functioning territorial entity. It has lost almost all of its territories, including its "capital cities" of Mosul and Raqqa, as well as its core territories along the Euphrates in Iraq and Syria. Apparently, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's vision of an Islamic Caliphate has come to an end, at least for the time being, although ISIS still maintains a presence in Syria and Iraq, and will continue to exist.
Read more...

Spotlight on Iran (October 1-15, 2017)

Turkish-Iranian coordination is increasingly invigorated following the independence referendum in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Senior Iranian officials rebuked the reports about the intension of the U.S. administration to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization. Iran continues to be involved in the campaign against the last pockets of ISIS resistance in Iraq. Bolstering of the economic cooperation between Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon continues apace.
Read more...

A Hamas-affiliated Palestinian in Britain admitted the flotilla project to the Gaza Strip was not intended to “break the siege” and bring humanitarian aid, but rather to promote the battle for hearts and minds against Israel.

Zaher Birawi is a Palestinian activist who lives in Britain affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. He has extensive experience in dispatching flotillas from Europe to the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of "breaking the siege" of the Gaza Strip.
Read more...

Spotlight on Iran (September 10-17, 2017)

Iran, Russia and Turkey continue to hold deliberations concerning the settlement of the war in Syria. Iran is persisting in its intensive diplomatic and public relations offensive against the upcoming referendum on independence of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Iran and Syria signed several agreements on cooperation in the electricity sector, reifying the growing Iranian role in Syria’s economy.
Read more...

Turkey

Since the victory of the Islamic Party in Turkey in 2008 and the election of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as Turkish Prime Minister, Turkey has adopted an active and assertive regional foreign policy that reflects considerable self-confidence. Turkey’s policy seeks to strengthen Turkey’s relations with its neighbors, especially Iran, Iraq, and Syria, in order to give Turkey strategic depth and turn it into an influential regional power. This is to be accomplished by taking advantage of the regional upheaval perceived by the Turkish government as an opportunity to promote Turkey’s regional interests and influence.

As one of the instruments to promote its influence, Turkey makes use of NGOs. One of these organizations is the IHH, a radical Islamic organization that sees itself, among other things, as an aid to Turkish policy. This organization was an active participant in the organization of flotillas and convoys to the Gaza Strip, the most prominent of which was the Mavi Marmara flotilla.  

In light of this policy of the Turkish government headed by Erdoğan, relations between Israel and Turkey gradually changed. Turkey has increasingly begun to stand by the Palestinians in their struggle against Israel, particularly the Hamas movement. The Turkish government transfers funds and aid to Hamas, and Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan has repeatedly condemned Israel’s policy.

The height of the escalation in Israeli-Turkish relations followed the events of the Mavi Marmara flotilla in 2010. Nine Turkish nationals, members of the IHH, were killed in a violent attack that they mounted against the Israel Navy’s efforts to prevent them from entering the Gaza port. As a result, the level of diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkey was lowered. After lengthy negotiations, the Mavi Marmara affair was resolved and in 2016, after a long break, Turkey and Israel renewed diplomatic relations.