Turkey

Eying Gaza mediator role, Turkey cools Hamas ties, Erdogan restrains rhetoric

Ankara has politely shown the door to Hamas leaders staying in Turkey, according to two sources, as it walks a diplomatic tightrope, careful not to jeopardize its recent thaw with Israel while maintaining support for the Palestinian cause. Turkey has been trying to carefully calibrate its stance in the face …

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Turkey’s Fidan travels to UAE, Qatar, seeks mediation on Israel-Hamas war

The top Turkish diplomat, who met with the Emirati leaders in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, is set to travel to Qatar, where Hamas’ political bureau is based. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and will head to Qatar next as Ankara is seeking to …

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Turkey’s Erdogan hails Hamas as liberators, leaving détente with Israel in shreds

The Turkish president’s speech on Wednesday aligned himself more firmly with the Sunni Muslim world, while pushing aside the benefits of closer ties with Israel and other regional economies. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday ditched any semblance of neutrality in the Gaza conflict, saying that the Palestinian militant …

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Azerbaijan, Turkey launch joint military exercise as Fidan meets Armenia FM

The joint military exercise coincided with a five-country summit in Tehran between Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran and Russia. Azerbaijan and Turkey on Monday launched a joint military exercise, including in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Armenian counterpart on the sidelines of a five-country …

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Eying Gaza mediator role, Turkey cools Hamas ties, Erdogan restrains rhetoric

Ankara has politely shown the door to Hamas leaders staying in Turkey, according to two sources, as it walks a diplomatic tightrope, careful not to jeopardize its recent thaw with Israel while maintaining support for the Palestinian cause. Turkey has been trying to carefully calibrate its stance in the face …

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Under threat from Turkey, is the PKK changing its strategy?

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) continues to wage its decades-long conflict against the Turkish government, but it has been several years since it staged a major operation in a Turkish city. That changed on 1 October when it launched a suicide attack at the entrance of the Ministry of Interior’s …

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Turkey extends mandate for military operations in Syria, Iraq

The Turkish parliament’s extension of the mandate for another two years comes amid rising tensions between Turkey and the United States. Turkey’s parliament voted on Tuesday to extend the mandate that allows its security forces to launch cross-border operations in Syria and Iraq for another two years. The 600-seat Turkish …

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Turkey’s Fidan calls Hamas leader, Israeli hostages in Gaza discussed

The phone call comes after the Turkish president said last week that his government was working intensively with all parties for the release of the hostages. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh discussed the release of civilian hostages the militant group holds in Gaza …

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Turkey’s Erdogan strikes moderate stance as Israel-Hamas war rages

Turkey’s Erdogan is striking a neutral stance in the Gaza conflict, avoiding incendiary rhetoric that would derail his charm offensive with the West and offering to mediate between Israel and Hamas. As the conflict in the Gaza Strip enters its third day, Turkey’s offer to mediate between Israel and Hamas …

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Jihad on Israel: Where Does Turkey Stand? – Part II

The “final solution,” Erdoğan said, unwittingly, it seems, using Hitler’s term, “is the foundation of an independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem its capital and Israel retreating to pre-1967 borders.” Why not ask Israel to withdraw to its pre-Babylonian borders? “Our Brothers in the Gaza Strip have been heavily bombarded in …

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