Politics
Israel raids Turkish public broadcaster’s Arabic crew
Israeli police raided locations where TV crews stayed in the country upon far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s orders amid the Iran-Israel conflict. Crews of TRT Arabi, an Arabic-language TV station operated by the Turkish public broadcaster, were among the crews hunted down by Israeli forces.
“Broadcasts that show exactly where the missiles land on the State of Israel are a danger to the security of the state and I expect that anyone who does this will be treated as someone who harms the security of the state,” Ben-Gvir said in statements carried by The Times of Israel news outlet on Monday.
Police also seized the equipment of TV crews. A statement by police said they acted upon a “tipoff” and under “zero tolerance” directives of the ministers and raided the hotel where crews were staying. Police said their raid targeted “people who pointed their cameras at the Haifa port.”
Iranian missiles struck Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva and Haifa on Monday, in retaliation for Israel’s attacks against Iran that began last Friday. The police statement said journalists whose equipment was seized were also summoned for questioning. Other targets of Israeli raids were the crew of a Dubai-based TV station.
Live broadcast of Iranian missiles hitting an oil refinery in Haifa on Monday by Qatar-based Al-Jazeera sparked outrage in Israel, and Ben-Gvir has called the intelligence agency Shin Bet to take action against TV broadcasts “endangering state security.” Ben-Gvir has emphasized that they applied censorship against the media to “prevent helping Iran to carry out precision strikes,” claiming TV broadcasts live from the struck locations were crimes.
Israel’s prison authorities also reportedly carried out assaults on Palestinian prisoners in their cells following the alleged celebration of Iranian attacks by prisoners.
Amjad al-Najjar, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS), was quoted as saying by Palestinian media that Israeli prison units, accompanied by police dogs, raided wards and brutally assaulted Palestinian detainees with batons and tear gas after handcuffing them.
Fahrettin Altun, head of the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, condemned Israel’s attacks on TV crews.
“The Israeli government, unfortunately, continues its lawless actions directed against the journalists who cry out to all humanity about the massacres it has committed, the bloodshed and tears it has caused, its strategy of destabilizing the region, and the threat it has posed to world peace. In recent hours, the live broadcast of TRT Arabic correspondent Fehmi Shtewe and his team from the city of Haifa was cut off by the Israeli police, and their equipment was seized – this is the latest manifestation of this insanity. The Israeli police, acting unlawfully, proceeded to the location where Fehmi was broadcasting, used violence against the Egyptian television channel Alghad TV and the TRT Arabic team, whose sole duty is to report the news. We vehemently condemn this heinous assault on the freedom of the press and the right to information. We leave it to global public opinion to judge the silence of the West and its ‘democratic’ institutions regarding these violations, particularly if and when Israel is the perpetrator, ascribing no significance to any norms or values and completely disregarding them. Once again, we condemn this abominable act. We will continue to be ardent followers and proponents of freedom of expression, the freedom to receive information, and the rights of media professionals,” Alton wrote in a social media post on Tuesday.
Rapprochement between Türkiye and Greece, whose ties have been strained for decades, may have a long way to go, but high-level visits mark commitment to the process by Athens and Ankara.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be a guest of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday. During his visit, the Türkiye-Greece High-Level Cooperation Council will hold its sixth meeting. The meeting will focus on economic, commercial, political and cultural relations between the two countries.
Ankara and Athens will weigh steps to increase foreign trade volume to $10 billion from around $6.7 billion in 2025, and exchange ideas on regional security, geopolitical developments and global issues. On the international side, the meeting is expected to discuss Türkiye’s contribution to NATO missions and the changing security priorities of Europe.
The “positive agenda” diplomacy between the two former foes and confidence-building measures will be the highlight of the talks. In addition, the two sides are expected to sign memoranda to deepen bilateral relations in the fields of commerce, economy, culture and education.
Türkiye prioritizes dialogue based on good neighborly ties and international law for resolving key disputes with Greece on Cyprus, the Aegean islands and rights on the Eastern Mediterranean.
Erdoğan visited Greece in late 2023 for the fifth edition of the meeting that will be held in Ankara on Wednesday. Among other issues, that visit focused on the improvement of the status of the Turkish minority in Greece and the Greek minority in Türkiye. Mitsotakis reciprocated with a visit to Türkiye in 2024. Also in 2024, the two countries agreed on implementing short-term visas for Turkish visitors to the Aegean islands, a significant step for rapprochement.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an annual press conference last month that improvement of Turkish-Greek relations is always possible, but Greek politicians have long utilized Türkiye for their own political career. Fidan has stated that both sides needed “only one step,” and they should not leave the table for discussion without resolving problems with good intentions and will. He said that they should primarily resolve the maritime border dispute and implement confidence-building measures. “The president’s will in this direction continues,” he said. “These problems can be solved.” Fidan has noted that the past two years saw a significant de-escalation of tensions, noting that dog fights of Turkish and Greek fighter jets decreased in the Aegean, and mechanisms between the two countries worked to an extent. “We also have cooperation on irregular migration and other matters. We hope we will not squander historic opportunities. I think this is possible,” he underlined.
Türkiye does not view Africa as a zone of competition or short-term geopolitical rivalry but as a continent of “equal partners,” Talha Köse, the head of the country’s National Intelligence Academy said Monday.
Speaking at the opening of a conference titled “Türkiye-Africa Strategic Dialogue” organized by the academy in Ankara, Köse said Western-centric academic and political approaches had long framed Africa through an Orientalist lens, overlooking the continent’s historical agency and capacity for self-transformation. He argued that modernization theories and liberal peace doctrines were often applied as universal models, disregarding Africa’s social and political realities.
“Today we understand much better how important it is to listen to Africa through Africans’ own voices and experiences,” Köse said.
Highlighting Africa’s young population, strategic location along global trade and energy routes, natural resources and growing production capacity, Köse said developments on the continent now affect not only Africa but also the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the wider world. He noted that major global powers, including the United States, China, Russia and European countries, have all updated their Africa strategies.
“Türkiye’s Africa perspective is shaped within this broader strategic landscape,” he said.
Köse highlighted that Türkiye’s Africa policy rests on four pillars: respect for sovereignty, humanitarian responsibility and sincerity, win-win cooperation, and long-term, sustainable partnerships. He added that Ankara supports “African solutions to African problems” and seeks stable, integrated partners across the continent.
The approach, Köse said, has been consistently pursued since Türkiye launched its Africa initiative in 2005, citing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s long-standing ties with African leaders as evidence.
Moreover, Somalia’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hassan Moallin Muhamoud Sheikhali, also addressed the event, describing Türkiye as a reliable and stabilizing partner in the Horn of Africa.
“While some external actors undermine sovereignty and fuel division, Türkiye has consistently respected African unity and contributed to stability,” Sheikhali said.
He underlined that Africa is a young and dynamic continent with significant demographic momentum, rich natural resources and strong economic potential, while also occupying a key geopolitical position.
Describing the gathering as a valuable platform, Sheikhali said Türkiye and African countries aim to further deepen their relations on the basis of mutual respect, shared interests and collective responsibility.
The two-day program brought together experts, academics and senior officials from Türkiye and across Africa to examine the strategic dimensions of Türkiye-Africa relations, with discussions set to focus on regional security challenges, defense industry cooperation and the future of strategic partnerships. High-level participants attended from Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nigeria, Egypt, Chad, South Africa, Senegal and Gambia.
The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) marked its 57th anniversary on Monday in Ankara. The party’s leader, Devlet Bahçeli, hailed the long life of the party that evolved from a political movement founded by the late Alparslan Türkeş in the 1960s.
Bahçeli’s speech to the party’s supporters in the capital inevitably turned to the terror-free Türkiye initiative he championed for the disarmament of the terrorist group PKK. The veteran politician reiterated his commitment to the initiative and said that the party was willing to pay the price “to prevent this fight between brothers.”
The nationalist leader’s suggestion to get the PKK’s jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, to Parliament so that he could call upon the group to lay down arms in 2024 had stunned many accustomed to his strict discourse against the PKK. Though such attempts to disarm the PKK were not new, it was the first time that Bahçeli, a man known for suggesting death by hanging for Öcalan once, led the initiative. Some far-right groups have accused Bahçeli of betraying nationalism. Bahçeli dismissed these claims in his lengthy speech on Monday and said they were “as Turkist as we were in the past.” “We are questioned by political converts,” he lamented, referring to former members of the MHP, which is known for its steadfast support of counterterrorism operations to eradicate the terrorist group.
The PKK claims to fight for Kurdish rights, while Bahçeli advocated strengthening Turkish-Kurdish unity in Türkiye to end the scourge of terrorism. The terrorist group killed thousands across Türkiye since the 1980s to achieve its goal of a self-styled “Kurdistan.” In his speech on Monday, Bahçeli said they needed to “wake up the national conscience.” “This is what we are aiming for. You cannot divide us, Turks and Kurds will carry Türkiye to the future together,” he said. Bahçeli underlined that they rejected “racist nationalism based on blood ties and ancestry” and issued a stern warning to “anyone attempting to argue against the foundation principles of the Republic of Türkiye with the intent of destroying these principles through differences in ethnic roots.”
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met on Monday with Nickolay Mladenov, the director-general of the U.S.-proposed “Board of Peace,” in the capital Ankara, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
Fidan received Mladenov for talks that focused on the situation in Gaza and broader regional developments.
No further details were immediately released on the content of the discussions.
Recently, Fidan joined representatives of countries signing the “Board of Peace” charter unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump in Davos, Switzerland.
He wrote on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal that the “Board of Peace,” of which Türkiye is also a founding member, offers a “historic opportunity” to alleviate the longstanding suffering of the people of Gaza, meet their humanitarian needs, and establish “a lasting and inclusive peace in the region.”
He stressed that Ankara’s present position is to do whatever is possible to contribute to the ongoing peace process in Gaza, whether in humanitarian, military, or political form.
Fidan said Türkiye has made it clear it would not resume trade with Israel while the war continues and humanitarian aid is prevented from entering Gaza, underscoring Ankara’s firm stance on the issue.
In January, the White House announced the formation of the Board of Peace alongside the approval of a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, one of four bodies designated to manage the transitional phase in the enclave.
The creation of the board coincided with the launch of phase two of a cease-fire agreement, which halted Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 71,000 people and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.
The initiative is part of a 20-point plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump and adopted by the U.N. Security Council under Resolution 2803 last November.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is set to meet members of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) delegation on Wednesday at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.
The delegation, which includes senior figures Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, is expected to discuss ongoing political issues linked to the Terror-Free Türkiye initiative.
They will be meeting at 2 p.m. local time (11 a.m. GMT).
The Imralı delegation is a delegation made up of DEM Party lawmakers who have been pursuing dialogue with the PKK’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, on Imralı Island.
Earlier on Tuesday, during a parliamentary group meeting, DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatımoğulları Oruç said the release of politicians imprisoned for political activities remains essential for advancing the terror-free process.
Turning to Syria, Oruç welcomed the Jan. 30 agreement reached between the Syrian government and the PKK’s Syrian offshoot, YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), calling on the international community to support its implementation. She said Türkiye holds significant responsibility in ensuring the deal is not derailed, arguing that meaningful regional cooperation would benefit both Syria’s and Türkiye’s long-term stability.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative was launched last year by government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) when its leader, Devlet Bahçeli, implied that the government should facilitate access to Öcalan, so that he could call on the PKK to lay down arms.
Bahçeli’s proposal was endorsed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who had earlier hinted at the initiative with messages of unity between Turks and Kurds. The PKK has long justified its campaign of terrorism as a fight for the rights of Kurds. Both Bahçeli and Erdoğan have repeatedly said that ending terrorism and maintaining unity were essential for Türkiye’s “home front” in the face of Israeli aggression in the region, pointing to the fact that Israel may target Türkiye next as part of its expansionist policies. Öcalan responded positively to Bahçeli’s call and urged the PKK to lay down arms. In July, the PKK started the disarmament process with a ceremony in northern Iraq. The complete disarmament of the group is expected to be concluded by the end of 2025.
Turkish authorities on Monday arrested two individuals who were detained previously on allegations of working for the Israeli spy agency Mossad. Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoğlu, who had been under surveillance for some time and were captured in a joint operation by the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Istanbul Police Department, completed their procedures before a criminal court of peace at the Istanbul Courthouse.
The court ruled that the suspects be arrested on charges of “obtaining information that must remain confidential for the security or political interests of the state for purposes of political or military espionage. “It had been determined that company owner Derya, who had been under MIT surveillance for some time, and his employee Kerimoglu were transferring information to Mossad. Authorities found that Derya expanded his commercial activities toward Middle Eastern countries through Kerimoglu, developed social and commercial ties with Palestinians opposed to Israel’s policies in the region, and transmitted the information they gathered to the Israeli service.
It was understood that Derya, who has maintained ties with Israeli intelligence since 2013, held third-country meetings in various European countries with numerous operatives using the code names “Luis, Jesus/Jose, Dr. Roberto/Ricardo, Dan/Dennis, Mark, Elly/Emmy, and Michael.”
Investigators determined that Derya communicated with the Israeli service through an encrypted system and, following Mossad operatives’ instructions, purchased SIM cards as well as internet modems and router devices from Türkiye and other countries, sending photos of labels containing passwords, serial numbers, production details and MAC addresses to his contacts. It was also established that during Derya’s most recent meeting with Mossad officials in January, they discussed setting up a bank account for a front company, designing a website, opening social media accounts, and researching potential partner firms.
Derya was 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. Following the completion of the investigation, Derya and Kerimoğlu were detained in Istanbul on Feb. 6 as part of the “MONITUM Operation” conducted jointly by MIT, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Istanbul Police Department’s Counterterrorism Branch.
Turkish intelligence, in recent years, has uncovered several spy networks operated by independent groups, terrorist groups 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.
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