Istanbul

February 13, 2025 | Sinan Ciddi |

Erdoğan’s fourth term, brought to you courtesy of Turkey’s Kurds?

Under current provisions, Turkey’s president can only hold office for two five-year terms

January 31, 2025 | |

Iranian Foreign Minister Meets With Hamas and Qatari Leaders as Support for Proxies Persists  

Iran Pledges Continued Support for Hamas: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with officials of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas in Doha on January 30, as well as Qatari...

January 15, 2025 | Sinan Ciddi, Sophia Epley

Turkey and HTS: A New Era of Extremism in Syria?

Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2023, Syria is now controlled by an alliance of opposition groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). While there has...

January 15, 2025 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

Good news and bad news from Lebanon as Nawaf Salam elected premier

Israel-bashing president of the International Court of Justice hardly seems the one to bring peace with neighbor

December 4, 2024 | Clifford D. May |

Israel’s Gift

Lebanese patriots now have a chance to throw off Tehran’s yoke

November 22, 2024 | Sinan Ciddi, Sophia Epley

State Department Warns Turkey Against Hosting Hamas Headquarters

U.S. discomfort over Turkish support for Hamas has reached a new threshold in the wake of reports that the Iran-backed terrorist organization is moving its headquarters from Qatar to Turkey, which is a...

November 21, 2024 | Sinan Ciddi |

Donald Trump Must Hold Turkey Accountable for Its Actions

Turkey’s authoritarian leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan was premature in his optimism at the re-election of Donald Trump. Erdogan is convinced that his existing relationship with Trump, will...

November 10, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Why did Israel’s new foreign minister embrace the Kurdish people?

Israel has long enjoyed positive relations with Kurdish people in the Middle East. It is part of a partnership between Jews and Kurds and also shared interests in the region

October 18, 2024 | Sinan Ciddi, Sophia Epley

Turkish University Celebrates Hamas, October 7

A university in Istanbul convened an international conference last week where terrorist leaders, government officials, and academics praised Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre and called for the destruction...

October 18, 2024 | Sinan Ciddi |

How not to dethrone an authoritarian leader: The case of Turkey’s Erdoğan

Public apathy and inaction to Erdoğan's authoritarian agenda play a big role in sustaining his hold on power

October 9, 2024 | Sinan Ciddi, Sophia Epley

U.S. Sanctions Additional Hamas Operatives With Ties to Turkey

The United States sanctioned three Turkey-based individuals and one sham charity on Monday, designating them as prominent international financial supporters of Hamas. The sanctions, imposed on the first...

September 9, 2024 | |

Erdogan Calls on Muslim Nations to Isolate Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on September 7 called for the formation of an Islamic alliance to halt what he called “the growing threat of expansionism” from the Jewish state. Falsely claiming...

September 5, 2024 | Sinan Ciddi, Sophia Epley

U.S. Marines in Turkey Assaulted by Nationalist Youth Group

Two U.S. Marines in Turkey were assaulted on Monday by more than a dozen members of the Turkish Youth Union (TYU), a secular nationalist youth group opposed to U.S. and European Union influence in the...

September 4, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Bringing Hamas to justice: Why US charges are an important step

In a groundbreaking move, the US Department of Justice has unsealed terrorism charges against top Hamas officials. How will this impact Hamas' operations and international standing?

September 4, 2024 | |

Risking New Rift With Western Allies, Turkey Pursues Membership of BRICS Bloc

A spokesman for Turkey’s ruling Islamist AKP Party said on September 3 that there had been no “concrete development” in its application to join the BRICS alliance of emerging...

September 2, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Israel’s stark dilemmas after hostage deaths

The murder of the hostages could lead to tough discussions about Israel’s current tactics in Gaza and whether the endless ceasefire talks are having an effect.

August 9, 2024 | Sinan Ciddi, Sophia Epley

Pro-Hamas Protesters in Turkey Call for Military Strikes Against Israel

Thousands of protestors took to the streets of Istanbul on August 3 to express their anger over the death of senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Iran on July 31. Emboldened by President...

August 8, 2024 | Mark Dubowitz, David Daoud

The Story of the Next Lebanon War Starts Now

Beirut, the once-fabled “Paris of the Middle East”, has been down on its luck in recent years. The lack of attention to Lebanon’s decline is now translating into complacency about the combustible...

August 2, 2024 | |

Turkey Holds ‘Day of Mourning’ to Commemorate Assassinated Hamas Leader

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz summoned the deputy ambassador of Turkey for a severe reprimand on August 2, after the Turkish flag at the country’s embassy in Tel Aviv was...

August 1, 2024 | |

Amid Rift With Erdogan, Turkish Parliament Extends New Invitation to PA Leader Mahmoud Abbas

Days after Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas sparked the ire of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by turning down an invitation to address the Turkish parliament,...