Politics
‘No chosen people’: Türkiye slams Israel’s expansionist aggression
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş has condemned Israeli narratives suggesting divine entitlement to land, saying no nation is “chosen” and warning that such rhetoric fuels injustice against Palestinians.
Speaking at an iftar dinner with foreign ambassadors in Ankara on Tuesday, Kurtulmuş said Türkiye rejects religious or ideological claims used to justify territorial expansion in the Middle East.
“We do not give any credence to beliefs about promised lands or the idea that a country belongs to a chosen people,” he said. “No people have been chosen by God, and no land has been divinely granted to any nation.”
Kurtulmuş was referring to recent comments by U.S. envoy in Israel, Mike Huckabee, who on Sunday sparked outrage by saying: “It would be acceptable for Israel to exercise control over territories belonging to Arab states, including the occupied West Bank.”
Türkiye and 13 other countries condemned Huckabee’s comments, saying they constitute a “flagrant violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations” and pose a grave threat to regional security and stability.
Huckabee, named U.S. ambassador to Israel in April 2025, is an evangelical Christian who has previously spoken of expansionist claims based on what he described as a “divine right” for Israel in the West Bank.
He argued that Israel has a “biblical right” to the land stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates rivers, saying on a podcast released Friday: “It would be fine if they (Israel) took it all.”
Huckabee made the remarks in an interview with U.S. journalist Tucker Carlson, during which he defended Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip and voiced support for the idea of “divine providence” giving control of the region to Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told news channel i24 last August that he feels “very attached” to the vision of a “Greater Israel.” He said he considers himself “on a historic and spiritual mission,” including “generations of Jews that dreamt of coming here and generations of Jews who will come after us.”
“Greater Israel” is a term used in Israeli politics to refer to the expansion of Israel’s territory to include the West Bank, Gaza and Syria’s Golan Heights, with some interpretations also including Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and parts of Jordan.
Kurtulmuş condemned Huckabee’s “disgraceful statements” that effectively legitimize Israel’s expansionist policies and reflect a broader collapse of the international rules-based order.
“The global system has entered a period where power overrides law and international institutions, including the United Nations, have become increasingly ineffective in preventing violations of sovereignty and human rights,” Kurtulmuş said.
He described the Palestinian issue as “the common conscience of humanity,” arguing that lasting peace in the Middle East is impossible without a two-state solution and recognition of Palestinian sovereignty.
The Center for Countering Disinformation, a subsidiary of the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, rejected media reports claiming that Türkiye is preparing to invade Iranian territory if the U.S. launches an attack on Iran.
“Claims in certain media outlets alleging that ‘Türkiye is planning to invade Iranian territory on security grounds in the event of a U.S. attack on Iran’ contain disinformation,” the Communications Directorate said in a social media post on Tuesday. The directorate emphasized that Türkiye maintains a longstanding commitment to respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of neighboring countries. It added that Ankara continuously takes necessary measures to safeguard the country’s borders, regardless of regional tensions.
“Türkiye, which consistently upholds respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of neighboring countries, takes all necessary measures to ensure the security of its borders on a 24/7 basis, whether in times of crisis or otherwise,” it stressed.
The directorate also urged the public to refrain from giving credence to unverified claims and instead rely on official statements issued by competent authorities.
The Turkish Parliament on Wednesday hosted a commemoration marking the 34th anniversary of the killings in Khojaly, with officials calling for remembrance and warning against future atrocities.
The event, titled the “Khojaly Genocide Commemoration Program,” was organized at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) by the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Friendship, Cooperation and Solidarity Foundation (TADIV) and the Azerbaijani Embassy in Ankara. A photo exhibition accompanied the ceremony.
Among those attending were TADIV board chair Aygün Attar, Türkiye’s Chief Ombudsman Mehmet Akarca, head of the Türkiye-Azerbaijan parliamentary friendship group Şamil Ayrım, Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Gökhan Günaydın and Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Ankara, Rashad Mammadov.
Attar, who also chairs the Presidential Security and Foreign Policies Board, said the 1992 events in Khojaly continue to shape collective memory despite the territory’s return to Azerbaijani control following the recent Karabakh war. She said the commemoration seeks to prevent “new Khojaly, Srebrenica or Gaza” tragedies and urged the international community to reject violence based on ethnic or religious identity.
Mammadov said dozens were killed in Khojaly “for being Turkish and Muslim” and noted that despite hopes after World War II that such crimes would not recur, later atrocities in Rwanda, Cambodia and Srebrenica took place.
Referring to Azerbaijan’s military gains under President Ilham Aliyev, Mammadov said the country faces the challenge of sustaining peace in the South Caucasus while ensuring similar tragedies do not happen again. He added that pursuing peace is difficult for a nation that endured such suffering but described it as a necessity to prevent further bloodshed.
Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday said he held an “open and honest” meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman as both sides discussed confidence-building steps and efforts to restart stalled Cyprus negotiations.
The meeting, which lasted about 90 minutes, took place at the residence of the head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Khassim Diagne.
Speaking to reporters afterward, Christodoulides said the leaders reviewed progress on confidence-building measures and agreed to provide guiding principles to their negotiators to help advance the process.
“We had an open and honest meeting,” he said, adding that broader substantive issues were also discussed.
Christodoulides said the two sides agreed to meet again soon to assess developments and determine whether further progress could be made toward resuming formal negotiations on the island’s future.
According to the Greek Cypriot leader, the talks included a detailed review of all confidence-building measures, including both areas of progress and points where delays have occurred. Issues related to crossing points between the two sides were also on the agenda.
He said the purpose of the contacts was to create momentum toward restarting comprehensive negotiations while preserving the framework established in previous United Nations efforts.
Christodoulides also said he has requested a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in March and plans to convene the Greek Cypriot National Council to brief political leaders and gather their views.
Christodoulides also noted that the principle of political equality between the two communities had been reaffirmed in line with recent U.N. discussions, as both sides explore ways to rebuild trust and move the long-stalled peace process forward.
The meeting comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to revive talks on the divided island. Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
The Greek Cypriot side is recognized as a political entity by most of the international community, while the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) pushes for recognition, with the support of Türkiye.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said Tuesday that Türkiye will continue to offer “sincere and strong support” for the reform process aimed at boosting the international effectiveness of the Developing Eight (D-8), an organization Ankara helped establish.
Yılmaz met with D-8 Secretary-General Sohail Mahmood at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, where the two discussed ongoing efforts to strengthen the bloc. In a statement shared on his social media account, Yılmaz said the meeting focused on making the D-8 more dynamic, project-oriented, and results-driven.
He noted that the accession of Azerbaijan has created new momentum within the organization, adding that the sides reviewed how to make the most of this development. Discussions also covered reforms aimed at reinforcing the Secretariat institutionally and financially to ensure more effective coordination among member states.
“As Türkiye, we will continue to sincerely and strongly support this transformation process that will enhance the global effectiveness of the D-8, in whose founding we played a leading role,” Yılmaz said.
He thanked Secretary-General Mahmood for his visit and extended his best wishes ahead of the upcoming D-8 Summit, scheduled to be held in Jakarta on April 14–15, 2026, expressing hope that the gathering would yield positive outcomes for the organization and all its member states.
The head of Türkiye’s parliamentary foreign affairs commission said Tuesday that growing energy trade between Armenia and Azerbaijan is paving the way for broader regional normalization, including improved ties between Ankara and Yerevan.
Fuat Oktay, chair of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission, made the remarks during an official visit to Baku, where he attended a trilateral meeting of the foreign affairs commissions of Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Speaking to reporters, Oktay described Azerbaijan as a friendly country and a second homeland, and said the South Caucasus is undergoing rapid political and economic transformation. He pointed to the initialing of agreements related to the Zangezur corridor and what he referred to as the “Trump Corridor,” as well as steps toward normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“Oil trade is taking place directly between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Oktay said. “This inevitably brings with it the start of a normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia.”
He reiterated that Ankara’s position has been that normalization with Armenia would move forward in parallel with a peace agreement and improved relations between Yerevan and Baku.
Türkiye and Armenia have already taken limited steps, including facilitating travel for holders of diplomatic passports and launching direct flights operated by Turkish Airlines (THY).
Oktay said Georgia plays a key role in regional connectivity, highlighting the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and overland transport routes linking Türkiye, Azerbaijan and the broader Turkic world. He expressed hope that expanded transport corridors would contribute to peace, prosperity and development across the region.
He added that reduced tensions could positively affect neighboring countries, including Iran and Russia, amid ongoing uncertainty fueled by the Russia-Ukraine war and U.S.-Iran tensions.
Oktay also noted that Türkiye aims to use parliamentary diplomacy alongside executive-level contacts to help lower regional tensions and support stability in the South Caucasus.
On Aug. 8, 2025, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Washington under U.S. mediation and signed a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to ending decades of conflict. On the same occasion, the foreign ministers of both countries initialed a peace agreement, underscoring a shared determination to advance toward full normalization.
Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry on Monday issued a joint statement with 20 countries and two regional organizations, warning that Israel’s latest decisions in the occupied West Bank further erode Palestinian rights and tighten Tel Aviv’s unlawful control over land internationally recognized as Palestinian territory.
The foreign ministers – representing Türkiye, Brazil, Denmark, Egypt, France, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Luxembourg, Norway, Palestine, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden – said Israel’s reclassification of large areas as “state land” and its further expansion of illegal settlements reflect a pattern of decisions that undermine international law and worsen conditions on the ground.
The statement, also backed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the League of Arab States, said the moves advance “unacceptable de facto annexation,” complicating diplomatic efforts and eroding the viability of a future Palestinian state.
Ministers highlighted the approval and tendering of the E1 project as a particularly destabilizing step, arguing that it fragments Palestinian territory and further limits the prospects for a negotiated solution. They warned that ongoing policies risk locking in permanent changes to the legal and administrative status of the territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.
Citing mounting settler violence, the signatories urged Israel to halt attacks on Palestinians and ensure accountability, saying the escalation jeopardizes security and stability across the West Bank.
The ministers also called on Israel to immediately release tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority under the Paris Protocol, noting that the withheld funds have severely strained essential services in both Gaza and the West Bank.
With Ramadan underway, the statement underscored the need to preserve the historical and legal status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites and recognized the role of Hashemite custodianship. They warned that repeated violations risk igniting wider tensions.
The joint declaration reaffirmed support for a two-state solution based on the 1967 lines, saying only a sovereign and independent Palestinian state can deliver lasting peace and regional integration.
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