Politics
‘Watch your step or we’ll make you’
Duvar English
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Feb. 26 once again targeted main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel by saying “Watch your step–if you don’t, we know how to make you.”
Speaking during his Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) meeting in the capital Ankara, Erdoğan addressed Özel as the “Commander-in-Chief.”
“Are you not ashamed of what you have brought (Atatürk’s) party to? Instead of slandering the AKP, Mr. Özel should answer the allegations of fraud in the municipalities,” he said.
“(At) yesterday’s meeting of his party, (he made) vulgar and offensive statements about the command of our army. As the commander-in-chief, I am addressing you. Watch your step–if you don’t, we know how to make you. You don’t have the authority and the right to criticize the command of my army, you will know your place. If you are a (member) of this nation, it is unbecoming of you to criticize them,” he continued.
Erdoğan also said he and the commanders will file a lawsuit for Özel’s remarks.
Özel on Feb. 25 commented on the five newly graduated lieutenants who were dismissed from the military for drawing their swords and chanting for the republic’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, during their oath ceremony.
Özel said the head of the disciplinary board, Lieutenant General Tevfik Algan, objected to the dismissals. “Then, those who were disturbed by Algan’s attitude wanted to send him into exile. Algan gave them the necessary answer by resigning.”
“I know who put pressure on Algan during that process, who struggled for the dismissal of the lieutenants during that process… and I am only saying this to them by naming them: Commander of the Land Forces Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu and Commander of the Naval Forces Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, I know what you are doing and I am telling you what I (once) told Hulusi Akar. You are the men who have received the curse of your friends, not their blessings,” Özel added.
In response to Erdoğan, CHP Group Deputy Chair Ali Mahir Başarır said in a social media statement, “One day you are the AKP Chair, one day you are the President, one day you are the Commander-in-Chief. You cannot change (outfits) as it suits you and maintain your outdated power through politics of intimidation! You cannot threaten our Chair Özgür Özel over our national army! We are not like appointed ministers trembling in front of you. We are here, the soldiers of the Republic; we will neither bow down nor back down!”
During their oath ceremony on Aug. 30, five lieutenants drew their swords and chanted “We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk).”
President Erdoğan criticized and targeted them after the incident, and said, “Exploiters, to whom are you drawing these swords? It is impossible for them to exist in our army. We are taking steps to (dismiss) them quickly.”
The National Defense Ministry also dismissed three of their supervisors, who backed the lieutenants, from the military, saying their actions were “against discipline.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to portray Türkiye as a new threat as part of “cheap politics” aimed at gaining an electoral advantage, Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said Friday, warning that Israel’s increasingly aggressive threat rhetoric poses serious risks to regional and global stability.
The directorate strongly rejected remarks by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office concerning President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, describing them as an “impertinent rant” devoid of historical facts and political seriousness and another sign of the desperation of an administration seeking to evade accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
It said the “cheap politics” pursued by Netanyahu and his associates, which it said was also designed to secure an advantage in elections, has no resonance in Israeli society, the region, the international community or Türkiye.
The directorate said the remarks by an Israeli government facing genocide accusations before international justice mechanisms were a telling demonstration of how deeply Türkiye’s voice and Erdoğan’s refusal to remain silent in the face of injustice have unsettled the Netanyahu administration.
It also warned that Israel’s election campaign has increasingly fallen under the influence of irresponsible security-driven populism and an intensifying politics of threats.
“The Netanyahu government’s effort to construct Türkiye as a new threat figure is also part of this cheap politics,” the directorate said.
It warned that pursuing a politics of threats and escalating tensions for the sake of domestic political competition carries serious risks not only for Israeli society but also for regional and global peace and stability.
Türkiye will continue, as it has in the past, to stand against oppressors and alongside the oppressed and firmly defend peace, justice and stability in the region regardless of the cost, the directorate said.
Ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 elections, Netanyahu’s Likud party has intensified its campaign rhetoric targeting Türkiye and President Erdoğan.
A new Likud billboard in Tel Aviv features Erdoğan alongside Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani under the message, “They want Netanyahu to lose. Don’t let them win.” The campaign comes amid increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Türkiye and Erdoğan from Israeli politicians in the run-up to the vote.
The Greek Cypriot side of the divided island of Cyprus sent a letter of complaint to the United Nations in a bid to stop the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) from establishing an energy lifeline amid heavy sanctions. Maria Michael, the U.N. representative of the Greek Cypriot administration, urged the U.N. to intervene and stop what she called an “illegal” project.
The TRNC largely relies on Türkiye for connections to the outside world as Ankara is among the few recognizing the state, and Türkiye has been a steadfast supporter of the rights of Turkish Cypriots on the island, where Greek Cypriots frequently ignore their maritime rights in particular. Following a much-needed water pipeline, Türkiye is now working on a natural gas pipeline between the two countries, to the chagrin of the Greek Cypriot administration, which has angered Ankara in the past by violating Turkish Cypriot maritime borders.
Michael’s letter, quoted by Greek Cypriot media, was addressed to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who visited the island last month to revive stalled talks between Turkish and Greek Cypriots over the future status of Cyprus. The TRNC maintains a stance advocating for a sovereign state for Turkish Cypriots with equal rights to Greek Cypriots, while Greek Cypriots favor a bi-communal federal administration on the island. The TRNC signed a memorandum of understanding on July 10 with Türkiye for an undersea natural gas pipeline. Michael described this in her letter as “null and void” and “illegal,” stating that the parties had not sought the consent of the Greek Cypriot administration.
The planned pipeline would stretch 101 kilometers (63 miles), including 97 kilometers offshore and 4 kilometers onshore, connecting Anamur on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast with Teknecik in the TRNC. The project envisages two 22-inch pipelines designed to operate in both directions, allowing natural gas to flow from Türkiye to the TRNC while also enabling any future gas production from the island to be transported to Türkiye and potentially onward to Europe.
Türkiye’s Justice Ministry has requested that Interpol red notices be issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli official Afek Moskovitch over alleged genocide charges linked to an attack on activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said Friday.
Gürlek said arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Moskovitch were issued on July 14, 2026, as part of proceedings before Istanbul’s 11th High Criminal Court. The Justice Ministry subsequently asked the Interior Ministry to seek red notices for the two men to facilitate their international location and arrest, he said, adding that the relevant documents had been forwarded to the Foreign Ministry.
The case concerns an attack in international waters on activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, which had set sail to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Thirty-five defendants, including Netanyahu and Moskovitch, are being prosecuted in the case, Gürlek noted.
Turkish authorities accuse the two men of crimes against humanity, genocide, aggravated deprivation of liberty, intentional injury, torture, property damage, aggravated robbery and hijacking of transportation vehicles in connection with the armed intervention against the flotilla and the detention of activists.
Gürlek said Türkiye would continue pursuing legal action over alleged crimes committed in Gaza and rejected what he described as attempts to shield Israeli officials from accountability.
“We will resolutely use all the means available under national and international law,” the minister said.
He added that Türkiye, under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, would continue supporting Palestinians and pursue steps aimed at holding those accused of crimes against humanity legally accountable.
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and five other countries on Friday categorically rejected Israel’s unlawful E1 settlement plan, warning that it threatens the viability of an independent Palestinian state and calling for international measures and sanctions against those responsible for illegal settlement activity.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Türkiye, the UAE, Indonesia, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Jordan condemned Israel’s continued illegal settlement policies in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the E1 plan and related settlement activity east of occupied East Jerusalem.
The ministers also reiterated their condemnation of violations and violence committed by settlers against Palestinians and their property with the support of Israeli occupation authorities.
They stressed that such actions cannot extinguish the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and constitute violations of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, while posing a serious threat to regional and international peace and security.
The ministers warned that the E1 plan represents a dangerous escalation by further advancing settlement expansion and annexation and undermining the geographical contiguity of the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly between the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
They said the plan consequently threatens the establishment and viability of an independent and geographically contiguous Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The statement said the Israeli violations directly challenge international efforts to achieve peace, particularly U.S. President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Plan and mechanisms established for its implementation, including the Board of Peace, which explicitly reject annexation and forced displacement.
The ministers said the settlement push also runs counter to Trump’s strong commitment not to allow the annexation of the West Bank and threatens efforts to establish stability and bring the conflict to an end.
They reaffirmed that a two-state solution in accordance with international law and relevant U.N. resolutions remains the only viable path toward a just, comprehensive and lasting peace.
The ministers warned that attempts to undermine the two-state solution risk further escalating tensions, threatening regional and international peace and security and damaging prospects for lasting peace and stability in the region.
They voiced support for efforts to hold entities and individuals responsible for illegal settlement activity, including the E1 plan, accountable through appropriate international measures and sanctions.
The ministers also called for an end to any support or financing that contributes to the establishment, expansion or entrenchment of illegal settlements, warning that a lack of accountability enables further violations and weakens prospects for a just and comprehensive peace.
They called for immediate action to halt the E1 settlement plan, revoke all related measures and end settlement activity and other practices aimed at altering the geographical and demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territories.
The ministers further urged the U.N. Security Council, all states and relevant international actors to fulfill their obligations under international law and take urgent and effective measures to stop illegal settlement expansion, protect the Palestinian people and safeguard their inalienable rights, including the right to self-determination.
They also called for action toward the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in accordance with international law and relevant U.N. resolutions.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is being relentlessly targeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government because of his uncompromising stance against Israel’s genocide, massacres and crimes against humanity, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesman Ömer Çelik said Friday.
Çelik, who also serves as the deputy chair of Türkiye’s ruling party, was responding to a statement by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office targeting Erdoğan.
In a post on social media, Çelik said the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office had used expressions about Erdoğan that should instead be used to describe Netanyahu.
“The reason the Netanyahu network targets our president day and night is that our president, on behalf of humanity, maintains an uncompromising stance against all the massacres and lies of this genocide and massacre network,” Çelik said.
He sharply criticized Netanyahu’s record, saying genocide, massacres, lies, killings and crimes against humanity have become the Israeli prime minister’s “identity card.”
Türkiye has emerged as one of the strongest critics of Israel’s war on Gaza, with Erdoğan repeatedly condemning Netanyahu’s government over the killing of Palestinians and calling for international accountability.
Türkiye’s Defense Ministry has mapped 172 Turkish military cemeteries and memorials across 48 countries as part of a yearlong project documenting the legacy of Turkish soldiers and officials who died far from home.
The “Turkish Military Cemeteries and Memorials Abroad Map,” prepared by the ministry’s General Directorate of Mapping, brings together locations stretching across several continents and has been made available online through the directorate’s website.
Lt. Col. Fatih Kalle, who coordinated the project, said researchers worked with the Foreign Ministry and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) to collect data before consulting several academic and military institutions to verify its historical accuracy.
Kalle said the map could be expanded as previously undocumented burial sites are identified, noting that historical accounts suggest additional graves may exist in villages and former battlefields.
Researchers also sought to accurately depict the uniforms, weapons, military equipment and other historical elements from the periods represented on the map.
Illustrations include Turkish soldiers serving in areas such as Yemen and India, as well as Ottoman-era ships and military aircraft. Aircraft associated with Turkish personnel buried at Brookwood Cemetery in Britain were depicted with their historical tail numbers, Kalle said.
The project also commemorates diplomats, military personnel, security officers and civilian officials who died while serving at Turkish missions abroad, including those who were eventually buried in Türkiye.
The map further depicts the Trans-Siberian Railway to commemorate Ottoman soldiers held along the route during World War I.
Images of the Refah and TCG Kocatepe vessels were also included in memory of personnel who died at sea and have no individual graves, according to Kalle.
Officials said the project could be updated as research identifies additional Turkish military cemeteries and memorials around the world.
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