Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared this week that Hamas is defending Anatolia itself, framing the Palestini...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared this week that Hamas is defending Anatolia itself, framing the Palestinian militant group as a shield for Turkish territory against what he called the "delusion of the Promised Land." Speaking in Istanbul, Erdogan said Hamas and the Palestinian people are not only fighting for their own land but for Anatolia, invoking Ottoman-era history as justification for Turkey's alignment with Gaza. Erdogan called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "barbarian, a bully, and a bloodthirsty bandit," and said someone must tell him to stop before he drags the entire region into catastrophe. He compared Turkey's current stance to that of Ottoman ancestors who, in his words, "protected Palestine with glory and honor for four centuries," saying he wants future generations to look back on this moment as one of honor. The statement came alongside a separate story circulating in Turkish media, where outlets attacked Greece for conducting a joint military exercise with Israel south of Crete. Turkish media reported that Israeli aerial tankers entered Greek airspace last Monday and departed Tuesday after refueling Greek F-16s, calling the drill unacceptable given what Turkey describes as Israeli atrocities in Gaza. Adding to the picture, prominent Turkish journalist Fatih Altay, citing a piece by former Turkish ambassador and former Secretary-General of the National Security Council Umit Yalim, claimed Turkey has been making sweeping concessions to Greece. According to Altay, Turkey has stopped contesting Greek militarization of Aegean islands, abandoned hydrocarbon exploration claims around Cyprus, withdrew its drilling vessels, and effectively accepted the Seville Map, which Turkey had long fiercely opposed. Altay's framing: Turkey gave Greece almost everything it wanted, and in return the two countries now have "good relations." The combination of Erdogan's Hamas rhetoric and the internal Turkish debate over Aegean and Cyprus concessions signals significant fault lines inside Turkish foreign policy, according to reporting by journalist Manolis Kostidis from Istanbul. #Turkey #Greece #Hamas