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Source: https://www.thejc.com/opinion/erdogans-neo-ottoman-turkey-is-becoming-a-threat-to-israel-lw47i2wd
Why Jerusalem Is Increasingly Wary of Erdogan's Turkey
(Jewish Chronicle-UK) Ashley Perry - Israel's relations with Turkey have deteriorated for years, but since Oct. 7 they have entered entirely new territory. At Eid al-Fitr prayers in Istanbul in March 2025, President Erdogan prayed: "May Allah...destroy and devastate Zionist Israel." These are not words expressing policy differences. That matters because Turkey is not simply another critic of Israel. It is NATO's second-largest military power, occupies a strategically important geographical position, and continues to enjoy considerable influence in Washington. Israel therefore faces the challenge of an increasingly hostile government leading a major NATO member with growing regional ambitions. Much of Erdogan's foreign policy is driven by neo-Ottomanism, his ambition to restore Turkey's political, economic, cultural and strategic influence across territories once governed by the Ottoman Empire. Alongside this vision is Erdogan's long-standing sympathy for movements associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, has benefited from this relationship. Erdogan has repeatedly defended Hamas and allowed senior Hamas figures to operate from Turkey. The language emanating from Ankara increasingly resembles that heard in Tehran. Turkish forces remain active in northern Syria and Iraq. Ankara has established military bases stretching from Qatar to Somalia and has become an increasingly influential player in Libya, the Caucasus and the Eastern Mediterranean.