Politics
Greek, Israeli alliance seeks to counter rising power Türkiye
Israel, Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration’s recent increasing trilateral partnership is an attempt to counter Türkiye’s growing regional influence, experts say.
“While the gatherings are publicly framed as part of a normal diplomatic process and regional cooperation, developments surrounding the summits point to a shared strategic outlook among the three countries, it is evident that all three regard Türkiye as a shared adversary and regional rival,” political scientist Ali Fuat Gökçe told Daily Sabah.
Israel’s Channel 12 television (N12), citing multiple sources with knowledge of the matter, reported that Greece is considering sending an engineering unit to Gaza as part of what Israeli officials describe as the territory’s “day after” phase, once large-scale fighting ends. The issue is expected to be discussed during talks on Monday between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Israel. Israel, Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration were scheduled to hold a meeting on Monday.
Emphasizing that Israeli concerns over Ankara’s regional influence and view Türkiye as a key obstacle to Israel’s military and political objectives, Gökçe stressed that the relations between Türkiye and Israel have also deteriorated, particularly over Gaza and Syria.
Channel 12 reported that a key driver of the growing Israel-Greece partnership is a shared desire to balance Türkiye. Israeli officials are increasingly wary of Ankara’s diplomatic and political influence in Gaza and its military footprint in northern Syria, while Greece views Türkiye as its primary strategic rival in the region.
According to an Israeli political source, Israel has been encouraging Greece to play an active role in Gaza’s future governance and reconstruction framework, viewing Athens as a partner capable of counterbalancing Türkiye’s expanding regional footprint. Israeli and Greek officials have intensified contacts in recent months amid concerns in both capitals over Ankara’s influence in Gaza and Syria.
The same source told Channel 12 that Greece has shown “clear willingness” to be involved in the postwar process in Gaza, an interest Israel shares. While no final agreement has been reached, the source noted that Israel would welcome a Greek presence in any future international force deployed to the territory, most likely in a noncombat capacity such as engineering or logistical support.
Mitsotakis’ political adviser, professor Sotiris Serbos, echoed that assessment in remarks to Channel 12, saying Israel favors Greek participation in the next phase in Gaza. “For Israel, it is extremely important to determine who will take part in any future force and under what mandate,” Serbos marked.
Greece’s interest in joining a postwar arrangement in Gaza has also been stated publicly. Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said last week that Greece would be prepared to contribute to a peacekeeping mission if such a framework is established, describing Athens’ ties with Israel as a “unique strategic partnership.”
The Gaza discussions are expected to feature prominently during a trilateral summit in Israel, where Netanyahu is set to host Mitsotakis and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides. Officials say the talks will also cover deeper cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean, including security coordination and energy projects.
Underlining that energy control over Eastern Mediterranean natural resources and east-west energy transit routes are widely seen as another unifying factor behind the trilateral summit, Gökçe remarked that “the region’s offshore gas reserves and pipeline corridors linking the Middle East to Europe have become a central focus of strategic competition.”
Serbos said Greece is preparing for multiple scenarios in the region and considers deeper military cooperation with Israel essential. Channel 12 described those comments as an indirect reference to Türkiye, noting that Serbos has argued the alliance is vital to counter Ankara’s “Blue Homeland” maritime doctrine.
Ahead of the trilateral summit in Jerusalem, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also addressed that Ankara has no territorial ambitions and does not want tensions with any country during a naval ceremony in Istanbul on Saturday.
Erdoğan said Türkiye desires peace and stability for its neighbors and aims to be a reliable partner during difficult times. He added, however, that Türkiye would not tolerate violations of its rights or sovereignty.
“All of our investments are not made to prepare for war. They are intended to protect peace, independence and our future,” he underlined.
Beyond Gaza, energy cooperation is also on the agenda. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu and Mitsotakis are expected to discuss Eastern Mediterranean energy projects and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), as well as a potential major arms deal that could include air defense systems.
According to Emete Gözügüzelli, associate professor from the Social Sciences University of Ankara, the recent trilateral summit between the Greek Cypriot administration, Greece and Israel reflects a continuing geopolitical alignment that aims to exclude Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) from regional decision-making under the banner of regional stability, energy security and cooperation.
“The choice of Jerusalem as the venue was widely seen as symbolic, while the renewed emphasis on projects such as the EastMed natural gas pipeline and the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) electricity cable was interpreted as a deliberate strategic signal rather than a coincidence,” she asserted.
Gözügüzelli argued that these initiatives, presented as energy cooperation, seek to constrain Türkiye’s maritime rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, challenge interests Ankara says are protected under its “Blue Homeland” doctrine, and marginalize the Turkish Cypriot community’s claims over natural resources.
Greece recently announced plans to deploy a multibillion-euro missile defense initiative known as the “Achilles Shield” along its land border with Türkiye and across the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, with significant procurement from Israel.
Juvenile crime, crimes committed by minors, have troubled Türkiye in recent years, especially after well-publicized cases and online outrage. Underage people are often exploited by gangs to carry out hits, while the murder of children by their peers adds another layer of concern to the issue.
The Turkish Parliament set up a “Committee for Research on Children Driven to Crime,” and its members explained their work and suggestions to Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday.
Şebnem Bursalı, a lawmaker for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), recalled the recent murder of Atlas Çağlayan and how it left “a deep wound in public conscience.”
“This wound can only be healed by taking responsibility, pinpointing any negligence and finding permanent solutions. We are committed to such solutions,” she said. Seventeen-year-old Çağlayan was stabbed to death by a 15-year-old boy in Istanbul on Jan. 14 after a dispute.
Bursalı said such violent crimes involving children cannot be treated solely as criminal cases. She noted that children reached that point after a chain of negligence, spanning from family and education to digital environment and “reality on the street.” “We cannot overlook this; otherwise, it will be turning a blind eye to new tragedies,” she said.
“The need to update preventive social policies, the proliferation of unregulated digital content, the rise in violent rhetoric on the streets, and the failure to adequately protect children must all be addressed as part of the background to this murder,” she said.
Bursalı noted that the committee will present an effective, deterrent and preventive road map that treats children pushed into crime not as criminals but as individuals who must be protected and rehabilitated, while also prioritizing public safety and a sense of justice. “I would especially like to emphasize that our president is closely following the issue and has instructed the relevant institutions to take all necessary measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring. As the AK Party, we are striving to voice and put into practice his determined stance on every platform. We will follow this process through to the end under the roof of Parliament to ensure that similar tragedies are not repeated.”
Sibel Suiçmez, a lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), noted that the committee was formed after the murder of 15-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi last year in Istanbul. “Unfortunately, the murder of Atlas Çağlayan followed it. The rise in the actions of children driven into crime, changes in their actions make this a worrying trend and something we have to tackle comprehensively,” she said.
Suiçmez said that they had to act in a calm manner and base their work on scientific data. “We should both address people’s safety concerns and delve into the root causes of the problem.”
“It is not correct to tie these only to children, their families, education and the judiciary system. In fact, they are all interconnected. This is something that should be tackled by several ministries, and a solution mechanism should involve harmony between different ministries,” she said.
Divisions and impunity
Suiçmez noted that the issue was divisive as well. “We see social media campaigns and prejudiced people handing out their ‘verdicts,’” she lamented. “We have to come up with a solution appropriate to our judicial system,” she said. Suiçmez cited surveys highlighting that increasing sentences did not prevent new crimes. “Of course, the children should be held accountable for crimes they committed, but this issue should not be confined merely to sentencing. Children are born innocent, and we have to discuss everything that brought them to that level, from their family, the place where he/she raised, whether they had equal access to education and whether they had sufficient support from the state,” she underlined.
She said violence was on the rise across the world and the number of minors driven to crime also increased, adding that digital platforms played a role in promoting crimes. “Türkiye has sufficient sentencing for such crimes, though public perception is different,” she stressed.
“In recent years, sentences have been significantly increased, particularly for crimes such as violence against women and the abuse of children, but the problem is not the severity of the punishment. The problem is that the sentences imposed are effectively reduced in their execution through changes to enforcement laws. If sentences handed down not only to children pushed into crime but also in other offenses are served consistently and as required, the public perception of impunity would be dismantled,” she said.
She added that while authorities call for harsher penalties and longer detention to prevent children from being drawn into crime, at the same time, releasing individuals whose convictions are final under criminal law early by amending the Law on the Execution of Sentences creates, rightly or wrongly, a perception of impunity in society. “That is why everyone must be sincere. In Türkiye, there is no deficiency in criminal law or in the sentences themselves; the problem lies in their implementation,” she said.
Suiçmez said the number of children driven into crime could be reduced despite economic difficulties through stronger coordination among institutions, an increase in the number of social workers and psychologists, the provision of sufficient police forces and proper working conditions for them, and training for judges, prosecutors and police officers on the juvenile justice system.
The number of incidents involving children reported to or brought before security units in Türkiye rose significantly in 2024, reaching 612,651, an increase of 9.8% compared to the previous year, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) last year.
The statistics reveal a broad picture of the reasons children interact with law enforcement across the country. Of the total cases, 279,620 children were identified as victims, while 202,785 were involved due to alleged criminal behavior, categorized as “children driven to crime.” Additionally, 96,438 children were questioned for informational purposes, 18,561 were reported missing and later found, 8,729 were involved in minor offenses, and 6,518 came to security units for other reasons not otherwise classified.
Among the children driven to crime, 40.4% were involved in assault-related incidents, 16.6% in theft and 8.2% in drug-related offenses, including use, sale or purchase of illegal substances. Other allegations included threats 4.6%, crimes creating general danger 4.2% and a wide array of other offenses accounting for 26% of the total.
Children who were victims represented 45.6% of the total number of cases. Of the 279,620 victimized children, 86.1% were victims of criminal acts, while the remaining 13.8% were involved in incidents requiring official follow-up but not necessarily categorized as crimes.
The most common offenses among child victims were assaults at 55.3%, followed by sexual crimes, 10.8%, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, 9.5%, family-related crimes at 8%, and other offenses, 16.5%.
Naci Şanlıtürk, member of the parliamentary committee for the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), says the public was angered on sentence reduction for offenders below the age of 18. “If someone is aware that they committed a murder, even if he or she is below the age of 18, they should be tried on the same laws applying to adults,” he said.
Şanlıtürk pointed out different aspects of crimes committed by children. “We see bullying, football ultras forming criminal networks, we see sentence reductions serve as an incentive for children into crimes. On the other side, films and video games promote violence. We have to review those,” he said. Şanlıtürk says the family plays a central role in the life of a child, and they should reinforce laws to strengthen family bonds. He said their suggestions focused on mothers, such as paying monthly allowances to mothers-to-be without any social protection and payment of minimum wage for unemployed mothers of three.
Drawing attention to scenes of violence in television series and films, Şanlıtürk said movies and mafia-themed series must be closely scrutinized. “Films that glorify violence should be reviewed and not broadcast. When you look at the content of games, children sometimes do not even realize that what they are doing is a crime. They see it in society, on the internet, in films and in games. A comprehensive effort is needed to prevent this,” he said.
Emphasizing the need to stop criminal networks from exploiting children, Şanlıtürk said. “We must prevent criminal gangs from laying their hands on our children, we must break those hands. It is wrong to lure 15- and 16-year-olds into crime with money on the assumption that there will be sentence reductions. There is also strong public sensitivity on this issue,” he added.
Authorities announced on Sunday that a suspect insulting a woman mayor was arrested while his party moved to expel him.
Mehmet Emin Korkmaz was behind a scandalous tweet that made rounds on the social media. Korkmaz, a member of the far-right Good Party (IP) hurled insults on Zeynep Güneş, mayor of Mihalgazi district of central province of Eskişehir. “Look at this mayor! She is more appropriate for milking cows in her farm than running a town,” Korkmaz wrote in a tweet accompanying a photo of Güneş. Güneş, a three-term mayor, usually wears a traditional dress popular among female villagers in parts of Türkiye. Korkmaz further disparaged Güneş as “uneducated” and mocked her şalvar, a part of her outfit.
Among mounting public outrage over remarks, prosecutors in Eskişehir launched an investigation into Korkmaz on charges of inciting hatred in public. Korkmaz was detained and remanded into custody on Sunday. IP Secretary-General Osman Ertürk Özel announced on the same day that they referred Korkmaz to the party’s disciplinary board for expulsion as he offered the party’s support to Güneş for “rude behavior she is exposed to.” Özel said in a social media post that only heinous people would insult others based on their choice of dressing. “Turkish women can rule the world, whatever they prefer to wear,” Özel wrote.
Ömer Çelik, spokesperson for ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) where Güneş serves as mayor, denounced the incident in a social media post and described it as “hate speech.” “We are grateful to everyone condemning this toxic rhetoric,” he wrote. Eskişehir Mayor Ayşe Ünlüce, of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) rushed to the side of Güneş. Ünlüce posted a photo of “Mayor Zeynep” in the same dress she was wearing when Korkmaz insulted her. “I condemn the discriminatory expressions towards the mayor. We fight this disrespectful mindset against women. As a member of the republic, which granted right to elect and be elected to women, I cannot accept this dirty language attacking women on what they wear. We are with Mayor Zeynep and against this mindset, the women will prevail in every venue,” she said in a statement.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday welcomed Jordan’s King Abdullah II with an official ceremony during the monarch’s visit to Türkiye.
Following the ceremony at the Dolmabahçe Presidential Office in Istanbul, Erdoğan and King Abdullah held a one-on-one meeting before talks expanded to include delegations from both countries.
Senior Turkish officials attending the meetings included Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Intelligence Organization head Ibrahim Kalın, and Erdoğan’s chief foreign policy and security adviser, Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
“In addition to bilateral relations, the two leaders will discuss current developments in the region and steps that can be taken to ensure stability,” Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said on X.
No further details were immediately available about the meeting.
The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) detained two individuals in Istanbul on suspicion of working for Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, in a joint operation with the city police and judicial authorities, security sources said Friday.
The suspects, identified as Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoğlu, spied for and transferred information to Mossad over an extended period. They had been under MIT surveillance for some time before being apprehended in an operation referred to as the “MONITUM Activity.”
According to security sources, Derya, a mining engineer, founded a company in 2005 and opened a marble quarry in the Silifke district of southern Mersin province, later exporting products to multiple countries. His international trade activities drew the attention of Mossad, which allegedly established contact with him through an individual operating under the code name “Ali Ahmed Yassin,” described as a representative of a front company set up by Israeli intelligence.
Sources said Yassin visited Derya in 2012, presenting a potential business opportunity and inviting him to a meeting with company executives in Europe. Derya allegedly traveled abroad in 2013, where he met with individuals posing as company owners but later identified as members of Israeli intelligence.
Investigators said that during these meetings, Derya was instructed to hire Kerimoğlu, a Turkish citizen of Palestinian origin, and report back on their joint activities. Authorities said Derya complied with the directive, hiring Kerimoğlu and maintaining close personal and professional ties with him, while allegedly receiving instructions and even salary payments for Kerimoğlu from intelligence operatives.
Intelligence, trade-linked activities
Security sources said that after hiring Kerimoğlu, Derya expanded commercial operations targeting Middle Eastern countries. Through Kerimoğlu, he allegedly developed social and business relations with Palestinians opposed to Israel’s policies toward Middle Eastern states, including Gaza, and shared information about these contacts with Israeli intelligence.
Authorities said Derya also sought entry permits to Gaza by leveraging commercial links and allegedly transmitted photographs of storage facilities he searched for in the territory to Mossad operatives.
Investigators further said Kerimoğlu proposed expanding their commercial ventures into drone parts trading in early 2016. Derya allegedly relayed the proposal to Israeli intelligence officials, and after receiving approval, the first product samples were reportedly supplied by Mossad. Authorities noted that one of the individuals the suspects allegedly attempted to sell drones to, Mohamed Zouari, was assassinated in Tunisia in 2016 by Israeli intelligence.
Derya maintained contact with Israeli intelligence from 2013 until his detention, holding meetings in several European countries with operatives using code names including “Luis,” “Jesus/Jose,” “Dr. Roberto/Ricardo,” “Dan/Dennis,” “Mark,” “Elly/Emmy” and “Michael.”
Israeli intelligence provided Derya with encrypted communication systems to maintain operational secrecy. He was also subjected to polygraph tests in an Asian country in 2016 and again in a European country in 2024, both of which he allegedly passed, after which he reportedly assumed a more advanced role in intelligence-related operations.
Derya also procured SIM cards, internet modems and router devices from Türkiye and other countries, transmitting photographs of device labels containing technical details such as serial numbers, production data and MAC addresses to Mossad contacts.
Derya was most recently tasked with establishing a front company abroad to infiltrate international supply chains. According to the alleged plan, the company would coordinate procurement and shipment of products from countries designated by Mossad to final destinations identified by Israeli intelligence, working with three legitimate companies operating in Asia at different stages of the logistics process.
Authorities said preparations for the company included establishing bank accounts, designing a website, opening social media accounts and conducting research into potential partner firms. Derya’s latest meeting with Mossad operatives regarding the project was reportedly held abroad in January.
Turkish intelligence, in recent years, has uncovered several spy networks operated by independent groups, terrorist organizations like Daesh, or foreign intelligence agencies in Türkiye.
According to Turkish security sources, Mossad often uses online communication applications to recruit operatives to spy on Palestinians and other foreign nationals living in Türkiye.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday called Türkiye a key NATO ally for Canada and said the two countries have strong potential to deepen cooperation, especially in trade and industrial sectors.
“Let me reinforce a few things in it. One is Türkiye is a vital partner in NATO, a vital partner in a very important and sometimes challenging part of the world,” Carney told reporters at a news conference in Vaughan.
Highlighting economic cooperation, he said: “In addition, there is tremendous opportunity. We have a series of opportunities to deepen our commercial relationships with Türkiye,” noting that he had begun discussions with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in New York at the U.N. General Assembly in September last year and planned to follow up.
He added that cooperation could extend to “aspects of defense cooperation and nuclear cooperation” while stressing the broader scope of the relationship.
“I’ll just make the observation that since we’re here, Türkiye is one of the leaders in manufacturing globally, including advanced manufacturing,” Carney said, noting that there are “areas where we can partner without question.”
During the news conference, Carney also announced “a new, more ambitious sovereign path” for Canada’s auto sector, unveiling a national automotive plan that includes $2.3 billion in new purchase and lease incentives to boost zero-emission vehicle adoption.
As part of the shift, the government is repealing the previous electric vehicle (EV) sales mandate and replacing it with stricter greenhouse gas emission standards for model years 2027 to 2032.
“We’re tightening by twofold our (greenhouse gas) emissions standards, and we’re giving the industry the flexibility on how they achieve that,” Carney said.
Canada suspended drone technology sales to Türkiye in 2020 after concluding its optical equipment attached to Turkish-made drones had been used by Azerbaijan while fighting illegally occupying Armenian forces in Karabakh, the Azerbaijani enclave Baku has since liberated.
In January 204, it announced it had dropped weapon export controls on drone parts, including the imaging and targeting system, shortly after Türkiye formally approved Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
Türkiye on Friday condemned the suicide bombing that struck a mosque in the Pakistani capital during Friday prayers, voicing strong solidarity with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism.
In a written statement on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemns the terrorist attack carried out today against a mosque during Friday prayers in Islamabad.”
The statement extended condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to the people of Pakistan, wishing mercy upon the victims. It also said Türkiye would continue to stand in solidarity with Pakistan in its counterterrorism efforts.
According to Pakistani authorities, at least 31 people were killed and more than 169 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque in Islamabad during Friday prayers. The explosion hit the Imambargah Mosque, a Shia Muslim place of worship in Islamabad’s Shehzad Town area.
Mosharraf Zaidi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesman, said the attack at the Imambargah in Islamabad “is only the latest in a series of murderous terrorist attacks orchestrated by India.”
“India’s terrorist proxies will neither slow down economic recovery, nor divide Pakistani hearts, nor undermine Pakistan’s growing diplomatic capital,” Zaidi stated on X. New Delhi was yet to react to the allegations made by Islamabad.
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