Politics
Türkiye condemns Israel’s attempt to annex West Bank
Türkiye condemned Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, specifically its actions in the West Bank, warning that recent decisions could undermine prospects for a two-state solution.
Speaking during the Turkish Defense Ministry’s weekly press briefing on Thursday, spokesperson Zeki Aktürk criticized Israel for ongoing cease-fire violations despite moving into the second phase of a Gaza peace plan.
Israel has faced global condemnation after its Security Cabinet approved measures on Sunday aimed at changing the legal and civil framework in the occupied West Bank to strengthen Israeli control, with several leaders describing it as a step toward de facto annexation of the occupied Palestinian territory.
Aktürk said Ankara condemned Israel’s decisions aimed at imposing a new legal and administrative status on the occupied West Bank following widespread destruction and attacks in Gaza. He stressed that such measures constitute a clear violation of international law and risk damaging ongoing efforts toward a negotiated settlement. “We once again emphasize that we will continue to support the Palestinian people’s efforts to establish an independent and sovereign state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Aktürk said.
The Arab League held an emergency meeting on Wednesday in Cairo to discuss recent Israeli measures aimed at expanding illegal settlement activity and tightening its control of the occupied West Bank.
A statement after the meeting said the Arab League Council urged U.S. President Donald Trump to fulfill his pledge, as part of his efforts to achieve peace, and to take “practical and clear” steps to prevent Israel from annexing the occupied West Bank.
The council said any annexation of Palestinian land constitutes a war crime, expressing its support for the Palestinians’ right to full sovereignty of their state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and including its holy sites.
According to Israeli media, the measures include repealing a law that barred the sale of land in the West Bank to illegal Israeli settlers, unsealing land ownership records, and shifting authority for building permits in a settlement bloc near Hebron from a Palestinian municipality to Israel’s civil administration.
Developments in Syria
To a question, the spokesperson said Türkiye is closely monitoring the implementation of the Jan. 30 agreement between the Syrian government and the terrorist group YPG. “We continue to closely follow on the ground the implementation of the agreement signed between the Syrian government and the YPG on Jan. 30,” Aktürk said.
Last Tuesday, Syrian security forces entered the city of Qamishli under a “comprehensive agreement,” which includes a cease-fire and a phased integration deal with the YPG that was reached in late January to end the state of division in the country and lay the groundwork for a new phase of full integration. The Syrian Army launched an operation against the YPG on Jan. 16 in areas west of the Euphrates River. The operation later expanded east of the river with the participation of tribal forces, leading to most of the territories previously occupied by the group coming under government control.
Russian drone crash
Following the briefing, the Defense Ministry also issued a statement on yet another drone incident off Türkiye’s Black Sea coast. On Wednesday, authorities discovered parts of a drone off the coast of the Ünye district of Ordu province. Local media initially reported that it was loitering munitions of Iranian origin, but the ministry said on Thursday that it was likely a Russian drone and did not contain “any explosives.”
Several drones and unmanned maritime vehicles have been shot down or discovered crashed in recent months on Türkiye’s Black Sea coast and cities far from the coast. Authorities say it is a spillover of the raging conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as most of them were found to be of Russian or Ukrainian origin.
Turkish authorities detained 43 suspects, including 19 public officials, in a sweeping operation targeting the outlawed Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) network across eight provinces, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the operation, coordinated by the provincial police, was centered in the southern province of Mersin and extended to Ankara, Istanbul, Kayseri, Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Muğla and Erzurum.
Among those detained are three officials still in active duty and 16 who had previously been dismissed from public service, according to the statement.
Prosecutors alleged that a suspect identified by the initials H.K. used the encrypted messaging app Signal to communicate with members of the group abroad between 2017 and 2025. The suspect is accused of organizing financial support under the name “Muavenet,” collecting and distributing funds through bank accounts opened in the names of sympathizers.
Authorities said the detainees were taken to police headquarters for questioning. Türkiye designates FETÖ as a terrorist group, blaming it for the 2016 failed coup in which 252 people were killed, and 2,734 were wounded.
Ankara also accuses the terrorist group of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Earlier this month, Maj. Murat Kalaç, who was on the wanted list of the Interior Ministry for his involvement in the coup attempt, was also captured, security sources said.
Kalaç was on the run since the coup attempt, instigated by military officers linked to the FETÖ, was quelled. Authorities earlier issued an arrest warrant for the suspect, who was stationed at the Gendarmerie General Command at the time of the coup attempt.
Istanbul police announced on Tuesday that two Greek tourists who unfurled a “Byzantine flag” at the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul were arrested.
The incident took place on April 9. A report by the broadcaster NTV says tourists, identified as 35-years-old Mazis Michael and 42-years-old Kostantina Mazi, arrived in the iconic mosque which was converted from a Byzantine cathedral after Istanbul’s Ottoman conquest in 1453, with a group of fellow tourists.
Inside, two suspects unfurled a Byzantine flag, taking photos of each other with the flag. When security guards noticed, they intervened and alerted police.
Suspects were subsequently detained at the hotel they were staying in Istanbul’s Fatih district. An Istanbul court ordered their arrest on charges of “inciting public hatred.”
NTV reported that the flag had an inscription translated into Turkish as “Be Orthodox or Die.”
The incident underscores the enduring political and symbolic significance of Hagia Sophia, a structure that has stood at the center of competing historical narratives for centuries. Built in 537 under Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, it served as the main cathedral of the Byzantine Empire and a focal point of Eastern Orthodox Christianity before being converted into a mosque following the Fall of Istanbul. Its reconversion into a mosque in 2020 reignited sensitivities, particularly in Greece.
For many Greeks, Hagia Sophia represents a lost center of Orthodox heritage. Turkish authorities, however, often interpret such displays inside the mosque as deliberate provocation.
The episode also reflects broader tensions between Türkiye and Greece, whose relations have long been strained over territorial, political and cultural disputes. In this context, symbolic acts at contested or sensitive sites can quickly escalate.
Istanbul on Wednesday will host a four-day meeting of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Istanbul. The event is expected to bring together 2,500 people from around the world. So far, more than 800 lawmakers and 77 parliamentary speakers signed up for this 152nd meeting of the Union.
The IPU, based in Geneva, holds semiannual assemblies in the spring and the fall, either in Geneva or elsewhere. The assembly will be an occasion where strengthening parliamentary diplomacy and multilateral cooperation will be discussed. The lawmakers will also discuss the genocide in Gaza, developments in the Middle East, and a number of regional and global issues.
The theme of the summit will be “nurturing hope, securing peace and ensuring justice for future generations” and it will host several events, including permanent committee meetings, the fora and several side events. The IPU will also elect its next secretary-general as incumbent Martin Chungong’s tenure will expire.
Founded in 1889 by parliamentary representatives to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation and dialogue, the IPU now stands out as the umbrella organization of the world’s parliaments, with 183 member countries.
Türkiye, which hosted General Assembly meetings in 1934 and 1951 and most recently 30 years ago, is set to once again demonstrate its experience and expertise in parliamentary diplomacy, as well as the importance it places on multilateral relations and international dialogue.
Turkish Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş will chair the general assembly of IPU. He will also hold bilateral talks with visiting parliamentary speakers, before they attend a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday.
Kurtulmuş on Monday attended executive committee meeting of IPU in Istanbul. Speaking there, he said it was great pleasure to host parliamentarians in the city which bridged continents, cultures and civilizations.
Commenting on meeting’s theme, he said “nurturing hope and safeguarding the peace” was “a responsibility for the parliaments.”
“In this context, your role is particularly important. The guidance you provide and the decisions you make here will directly influence not only the success of the Union but also the broader impact of parliamentary diplomacy. At a time when the international system is facing increasing uncertainty and complex challenges, the responsibility of parliaments to act with vision and determination has never been greater. Increasing our dialogue, raising our voices against injustice and conflicts, and developing new ideas for a better world are our responsibilities toward future generations. Therefore, I hope that our Union will serve as an opportunity to convey strong messages supporting the defense and strengthening of peace, democracy, and multilateralism. With this understanding, I wish the Executive Committee success in its meetings. I am confident that your deliberations will lead to concrete and constructive outcomes for our countries and our cooperation,” he said.
The burning of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Turkish flags during Easter celebrations on the Greek Cypriot side of the divided island irked the Turkish Cypriot side. The provocative incident on Sunday was “unacceptable,” Turkish Cypriot officials said.
Greek Cypriots have been more daring recently in their anti-Turkish salvo. Most recently, a group of Greek Cypriot extremists has tried to attack Turkish Cypriots on the buffer zone, during a rally to celebrate the anniversary of EOKA, a terrorist faction known for massacres of Turkish Cypriots during the second half of 20th century.
Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu said in a statement that Greek Cypriot side was still dominated by the EOKA mindset and he condemned “this fascist act.” “Attacks on our flag is an attack on our nation and it cannot be tolerated,” he said. “Turkish Cypriots have power to protect its sacred symbols as it did it in the past,” he underlined.
The incident came roughly one week after a Greek Cypriot military official openly targeted TRNC in provocative remarks, when he voiced hope to mark future Easters in “occupied homeland,” referring to the Turkish Cypriot side.
Cyprus has been split since 1974 when a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. The TRNC was founded in 1983 and is recognized only by Türkiye. The Greek Cypriot administration, widely recognized internationally, has long supported a bi-communal federation model, while the Turkish Cypriot side has increasingly emphasized full sovereignty for the TRNC. United Nations-led talks over decades have so far failed to produce a comprehensive settlement.
As talks continued between the sides, Greek Cypriots started improving relations with Israel, to the chagrin of the TRNC and guarantor Türkiye. A trilateral summit of the Greek Cypriot leader, the Greek prime minister and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last December prompted concerns for the two countries. The three sides agreed to increase their military cooperation after the summit in Israel.
Türkiye intensified diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing war, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan holding talks Monday with his Russian and Saudi counterparts, diplomatic sources said.
According to sources from the Foreign Ministry, the discussions focused on initiatives aimed at bringing an end to the conflict and advancing diplomatic solutions.
The calls are part of Türkiye’s ongoing efforts to engage regional and global actors in pursuit of a cease-fire and a lasting resolution.
Earlier on Monday, Fidan warned that Israel may disrupt the cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran. Türkiye has repeatedly emphasized the need to prevent further escalation and to prioritize diplomatic efforts amid rising tensions in the region.
The United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, sparking retaliation from Tehran that has plunged the Middle East into conflict and shaken the global economy.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday hailed the “sincerity” of the United States and Iran on achieving a cease-fire. However, he warned that Israel may disrupt the process. Fidan also pointed out to Israel’s emerging “state strategy” of finding “new enemies” in the region such as Türkiye.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Fidan also commented on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The minister has been at the forefront of Türkiye’s peace diplomacy, contacting relevant parties to achieve cease-fire in US-Israel-Iran war.
“The whole world wants free international passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Hormuz should remain open through peace, using an international armed force is a challenge,” he said. He stated that Strait of Hormuz issue demonstrated that the war not merely “regional” but a conflict with global repercussions. He highlighted that the Strait was where up to 25% of natural gas and oil shipments went through. “We are facing a situation where a great logistics chain, production and industrial infrastructure is affected,” he added. “The question now is how the Strait is going to be run.” Fidan emphasized the importance of keeping international shipping routes open amid rising tensions in the Gulf. “What the entire world wants is that international transit remain free and not be obstructed,” he said. He warned that stability in the waterway cannot be achieved through forceful measures. “Our position is to reopen it through peace. There are many difficulties in intervening here with an international armed peace force,” he said.
He also noted that there was a thin line of being party to the conflict targeting Iran and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. “But no country wants to be part of this war, Europeans in particular openly expressed this,” he stated.
On Türkiye’s stand, Fidan pointed out the stance adopted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan since the beginning of the war and this was “the policy of keeping Türkiye out of war.” He said the situation in Hormuz had a significant impact on the global markets and Türkiye made every contribution to resolve the issue. The minister, however, added that Türkiye was not “very much dependent on Strait of Hormuz in terms of energy security, energy supplies.” “Share of natural gas in electricity production dropped and share of renewable energy sources dramatically increased in past two decades. But we feel the indirect impact of the situation, especially on pricing. Energy supplies are delivered smoothly but pricing poses a problem. This may be a burden on the economy in the long run,” he warned.
Fidan also warned about Israel’s actions in Syria and Lebanon. On incursions into Syria, Fidan noted that it also posed a major risk for Türkiye. He said Israeli attacks in Lebanon resembled what it has done in Gaza, underlining that it engaged in a depopulation campaign by destroying housing and infrastructure.
Türkiye’s top diplomat said such negotiations start out with maximalist demands, but the sides usually try to find common ground with the support of mediators. “We only hope that they will have a lasting intention to reach a cease-fire and sustain it. As far as I can see, they are sincere on this,” he said. Fidan noted they were in touch with the sides after the talks in Islamabad, and throughout Sunday, they held talks on assessing the point of deadlock in the talks and what Türkiye can do to resolve it. He pointed out the “Israel factor.” “We should always consider what Israel can do to disrupt it. We always highlighted this to the U.S. side,” he stated.
On the contents of the talks, Fidan said it should be acknowledged that it might not have been technically possible to agree upon a final document within a timetable of 15 days, based on the topics discussed at the Islamabad meeting. He said that if any progress can be made, the sides can agree upon an additional cease-fire for continuing talks for a time period between 45 and 60 days. “If the talks turn to the nuclear issue with an all-or-nothing approach, especially on the issue of uranium enrichment, the talks can hit a serious obstacle. Still, this may be overcome with the support of mediators, other countries,” he stressed. He warned that military approaches to securing key global sea lanes would be highly complex and urged diplomacy to ensure uninterrupted maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy chokepoint.
Israel seeks enemies
He further commented on Israel’s regional posture, saying: “We see that Israel may seek to designate Türkiye as a new adversary after Iran, as it cannot sustain itself without an enemy.” “After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy,” Fidan underlined.
“We see that not only Netanyahu’s administration but also some figures in the opposition, though not all, are seeking to declare Türkiye the new enemy,” he said. “This is a new development in Israel, turning into a state strategy,” he added.
His statements follow social media posts by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz who targeted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in insulting remarks. Statements of Israeli officials, apparently aimed to encourage the opposition to take action against Erdoğan, backfired. Both government officials and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) were united in their condemnation of Israeli officials’ remarks, standing for Erdoğan against what they described as the words of perpetrators of genocide in Gaza.
On a question whether Israel shifted gears in its approach to Türkiye and whether it was a permanent policy, Fidan answered “both.” “Israel has an inferiority complex due to our president’s political leadership in the region. They cannot admit how Türkiye elevated its role in the region with its strategic balancing. They cannot steer Türkiye,” he said. He said many countries oppose Israel’s policies toward Palestine and Lebanon but Türkiye had a different diplomatic approach, standing out among others. “Our president’s global leadership, his close ties with leaders, Türkiye’s network of interaction, all of these affect Israel’s rhetoric to create illusions about the truth. In this context, it is understandable that they attack our president, our political elite,” he said.
Risks in Syria
Turning to Syria, Fidan described the situation as a major security concern for Turkiye. “We see a major problem area in Syria. This is a big risk for us,” he said, referring to Israel’s attacks. He added that Israel’s current focus on its confrontation with Iran could delay but not rule out its future moves in Syria. “Because of the war underway in Iran, it is not doing certain things (against Syria), but that does not mean it will not. When the time comes, it will want to do it,” he said.
Following the collapse of the Baathist regime in 2024, Israel declared the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between the two sides no longer valid, moved into the Syrian buffer zone and has since carried out near-daily strikes and incursions. Israeli forces target Syrian territory almost daily, carrying out ground incursions, particularly in rural areas of Quneitra and Daraa in southern Syria, detaining civilians, setting up checkpoints to search and question passersby, and damaging agricultural land. Türkiye views it as part of Israel’s aggressive expansionism in the region and is worried that it may fuel instability in post-civil war Syria. Damascus is already trying to stay away from the spillover of the U.S.-Israel-Iran war.
Fidan also criticized regional cooperation formats involving Greece, the Greek Cypriot administration and Israel, arguing they heighten tensions rather than ease them. “Their cooperation does not bring more trust, it brings more mistrust. It brings more problems and war,” he said. He also called for a wider regional security framework based on mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity across the Middle East.
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