"Everyone should take their hands off Syria and we, along with our Syrian siblings, will crush the heads of Islamic State, the YPG and other terrorist organizations in a short time."
Many airlines that have suspended operations in Israel have chosen to save their slots, but the predicament of Turkish Airlines is slightly different.
Is Turkey still a reliable NATO ally under Erdogan’s Islamist and authoritarian rule?
Erdogan called for Muslim unity against Israeli expansion, but Turkish expert Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak sees deep divisions in the Muslim world
A Turkish diplomatic source said that, with the agreement, a Joint Security Coordination Centre would be established in Baghdad along with a Joint Training and Cooperation Centre in Bashiqa.
It could have been different. Turkey could have been a great engine of world peace, a natural mediator between Arabs and Jews, but for now, it must endure yet more of the man who crushed its freedom.
Ugur Ozel, Turkish opposition leader, labeled Hamas a terrorist organization in a TV interview, sparking controversy. Ozel criticized Hamas for attacks on civilians.
Both countries are expected to increase trade and energy cooperation, among others, but historical disputes will still stand in the way of friendship.
Analysts attribute Erdoğan’s decision to halt trade with Israel to poor results for his party in local Turkish elections last month.
A Turkish official later said Erdogan had "misspoke" and meant that Gazans more generally were being treated in Turkey.
JPOST Digital Library
