Erdoğan’s Double Game: How Turkey Fuels Israel’s War Machine While Playing Palestine’s Protector
The separation of Palestine from the Ottoman territories has always been a key narrative in Turkey’s promotion of Neo-Ottoman ideals among the Palestinian people.
President Erdoğan, the leading figure of Neo-Ottomanism, has frequently staged loud and theatrical performances on the Palestinian issue—from publicly insulting Shimon Peres to delivering fiery speeches in defense of Palestine.
Moreover, Turkey has consistently sought to highlight its shared historical past with Palestine in an attempt to act as a “godfather” to the Palestinian cause.
But what has this so-called godfather actually done to confront Israel?
Statistics reveal that Turkey is one of the main suppliers of jet fuel for Israeli warplanes.
It is also among Israel’s top five trade partners, providing a significant portion of the food consumed in the occupied territories.
In fact, many Turkish cities have hosted training programs for Israeli military forces.
Given Turkey’s usual loud rhetoric and insistence on custodianship over Palestinian affairs—especially amid the current famine and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza—one might have expected that Ankara would impose some restrictions on food exports to Israel.
And yet, this “godfather” seems to have chosen to continue its deafening silence, much like the majority of the Arab world and its compromise-driven rulers.
