Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged Islamic countries to unite against what he referred to as “the growing threat of expansionism” from Israel. His statement followed reports from Palestinian and Turkish officials about the killing of a Turkish-American woman by Israeli troops during a protest on Friday against settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Erdogan argued that an alliance of Islamic nations was the only way to counter what he described as Israeli “arrogance, banditry, and state terrorism.” He made these remarks at an event organized by an Islamic schools’ association near Istanbul.
He further explained that Turkey’s recent diplomatic efforts to strengthen relations with Egypt and Syria were part of a broader strategy to build solidarity against expansionism, which he claimed also endangered Lebanon and Syria. This week, Erdogan hosted Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Ankara, where they discussed the Gaza conflict and ways to continue improving their relations, marking the first such visit in 12 years.
Diplomatic ties between Turkey and Egypt began to improve in 2020, as part of Turkey’s broader initiative to ease tensions with regional rivals, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. In July, Erdogan also indicated that Turkey would be willing to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for talks to restore relations, which were severed in 2011 after the onset of the Syrian civil war.
Israel did not immediately respond to Erdogan’s remarks. After Friday’s incident, Israel’s military stated that they were investigating reports of a female foreign national being killed by gunfire, with the details under review. There was no immediate comment from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
