A Wicked Turn in Ankara

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (L) stands next to his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan, after a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, on March 9, 2022. STR/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

Turkey is the bridge that links Europe to Asia. It’s a longstanding member of NATO and has, for decades, unsuccessfully lobbied the European Union for full EU membership in that body. But the EU has never allowed Turkey full membership. Moreover, with its support of Hamas in the war against Israel, Turkey is burning its bridges to the West.

Put another way, Hamas’s savage, radical Islam-inspired war against Israel and the Jews is apparently Turkey’s war as well. That has a number of critical implications that go well beyond the Israel–Hamas battle at both the global and regional levels.

At the macro level, Turkey is seemingly bound by NATO’s collective security, but Ankara’s relations with Moscow are mutually beneficial and growing.

Turkey’s NATO–EU Linkage

Turkish President Recep Erdogan appears to be running out of patience with the EU. He recently said that Turkey is willing to “part ways” with the EU after the EU Parliament announced that Turkey’s “accession process cannot resume under the current circumstances.”

As a full member of NATO, Turkey has had to balance its close relations with Russia while maintaining its relationship with NATO members, all of which, aside from the United States, are European, and support, to one degree or another, Ukraine in its war with Russia. Ankara views its NATO membership as a justification for gaining EU membership. But EU officials disagree, maintaining that membership criteria and processes are quite different and separate from those of NATO.

Turkey’s descent into authoritarianism is also a red flag for EU leaders. In 2022, the EU’s enlargement report cited “serious concerns on the continued deterioration of democracy, the rule of law, fundamental rights and the independence of the judiciary” in Turkey as reasons to not admit it to the union.

Yet Ankara has engaged in a delicate dance between its ties with NATO and Europe and its growing ties to Russia. On the one hand, Mr. Erdogan sees the economic necessity of maintaining its long relationship with Europe and the military advantages of its participation in NATO.

For example, in exchange for 40 new F-16 fighter jets and other military upgrades, Ankara lifted its opposition to Sweden’s application for NATO membership. Mr. Erdogan also supported Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership, angering Russia. But that support is moot since NATO has been supporting Ukraine financially and militarily as if it were already a member since the very beginning of the war.

Turkey is also helping Russia skirt sanctions pertaining to grain and energy sales, directly against the interests of NATO, the United States, and the EU.

Escalation of Anti-Israel Rhetoric

Prior to the Hamas attack and Israel’s ongoing response in Gaza, Turkey and Israel were engaging in a mutual rapprochement based on plans for joint oil drilling efforts in the eastern Mediterranean and other economic engagements. Following Israel’s military engagement in Gaza, Mr. Erdogan has described Israeli actions as a “massacre” rather than a justified response to the brutal attack perpetrated against innocent civilians by Hamas.

This pronouncement has undercut prior efforts to improve Turkish–Israeli relations. So did the fact that Mr. Erdogan’s first phone call was to Iran’s leadership, not Israel’s, concerning the attack and containing Israel’s response.

The Widening Rift Between Turkey and the West

It’s also widening the rift between Turkey and the West, especially given that Turkey has a history of helping Iran skirt U.S. sanctions. More to the point, Mr. Erdogan has publicly allied Turkey with radical Islamic jihadi causes and actions. On Oct. 13, the supreme religious leader of Turkey’s Hizbullah, Edip Gumus, an ally of Mr. Erdogan’s Islamist government with deep connections to Iran, made a public call for “global jihad” against Israel.

Furthermore, SADAT, a Turkish military contractor and strong supporter of Mr. Erdogan, issued a public statement that favored the creation of an Islamic army from all the Muslim nations in the Middle East to coordinate and put an end to Israel’s occupation. It also called Israel a “nation of terror” and Hamas “the government of Gaza.”

Allies in Name Only

These proclamations make it difficult to see how a military alliance with Turkey can be sustained or justified, at least from a Western perspective. Turkey has NATO intelligence, military hardware, and a military force in NATO that’s second only to the United States. And yet its geopolitical interests run contrary to the West and are aligned with the mullahs and dictators of the East, from Moscow to Tehran.

It’s fair to conclude that Turkey is an ally, if not a leader, of radical Islam in the world.

How does this fact square with Ankara being both a NATO member and a leader of radical Islam that’s actively calling for and supporting the elimination of Israel, one of America’s closest allies in the world?

From Turkey’s point of view, it’s getting the best of both worlds without any negative consequences.

How do the West, NATO, and Israel benefit from Turkey’s wicked turn to jihad?

It lets us know who’s with us—and who’s not.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.