Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long been a vocal advocate for the Palestinian cause, condemning Israel for its actions toward the Palestinians and notably rebuking former Israeli President Shimon Peres on stage at the World Economic Forum.
His support for Palestine shows how important the Palestinian cause is to many Turkish citizens. In 2010, for example, a boat called the Mavi Marmara – part of a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to the besieged Gaza Strip – was intercepted and attacked by Israeli forces.
Nine people on board were killed and dozens more injured. The incident strained relations between Turkey and Israel for years, until 2016, when the two countries agreed on a path to normalizing relations.
But relations are deteriorating again because of Israel’s devastating war on Gaza.
Although Erdogan has harshly condemned Israel’s war, he and his government have been criticized both domestically and internationally for what has been seen as a lack of direct action in support of Gaza since Israel began its war on the enclave in October.
In recent weeks, however, Turkey has taken an increasingly tough stance. On Wednesday, it formally filed its declaration of participation in the genocide proceedings brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Sinem Adar, a Turkey expert and research associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), said Turkey made the decision largely because Erdogan and his base, which is largely made up of religious Muslims, are passionate about supporting the Palestinians. But, she added, the decision partly reflects the government’s lack of power to influence the situation in Israel-Palestine.
Adar noted that for years Turkey has tried to present itself as a regional power, but said Erdogan was not involved in current ceasefire negotiations, had little influence over Israel and was “not seen as a credible partner” by Western countries that support Israel militarily and diplomatically.
“I think (the regional crisis since) October 7 has revealed to the government the limits of its own power (to influence outcomes),” Adar told Tel Aviv Tribune.
Some analysts say the decision to file a complaint with the ICJ is largely symbolic and aimed more at appeasing domestic voters and critics who are calling on their government to show solidarity with the Palestinians.
“This decision is consistent with the harsh and critical rhetoric the government has adopted against Israel and it would have been criticized domestically if it had not taken this step,” said Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and director of a Turkey-based think tank, Edam.
Responding to Outrage
Across the Turkish political spectrum, Turks are furious at Israel’s devastating war on Gaza.
Israel has killed some 40,000 Palestinians in the besieged enclave and displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, while generating mass starvation and the spread of disease that threatens to kill thousands more.
Israel’s war is a response to a Hamas attack on Israeli military outposts and communities on October 7, in which approximately 1,139 people were killed and about 250 were taken captive.
Erdogan, a member of the conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP), condemned the killing of Israeli civilians by Hamas and other Palestinian groups.
But he also said Hamas was a liberation group and “not a terrorist organization” as the United States, Europe and Israel refer to it. He later canceled a trip to Israel, while calling the war in Gaza “inhumane.”
Since then, relations between Turkey and Israel have deteriorated, analysts told Tel Aviv Tribune. Turkey has responded by staging pro-Palestinian protests and cutting $7 billion in trade with Israel. As a member of the North Atlantic Trade Alliance (NATO), a 30-nation military alliance, Turkey has also blocked cooperation between the alliance and Israel.
Turkey is now also joining the genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel at the ICJ.
“I think Erdogan and his team have understood that they have to act and they can’t just do it for the sake of it. They have to be active on multiple fronts, even if it’s not particularly important or useful to their long-term interests,” said Selim Koru, a Turkey expert and fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI).
Domestic political impact
Last March, the AKP lost to the opposition in several major cities in local elections, partly because of its perceived inability to take a stand against Israel, according to Adar.
She said that among the AK Party’s traditional strongholds, an Islamic-oriented rival party called the New Welfare Party (YRP) has begun to challenge the AK Party on the right.
The YRP has been a vocal critic of Israel since October 7. It has even threatened to run its own candidate instead of supporting Erdogan in the upcoming presidential elections if he does not take a number of steps to support the Palestinians – which would hurt his re-election chances, Adar said.
“The halt to trade is a decision that is the result of internal pressure,” Adar told Tel Aviv Tribune.
Turkey’s Trade Ministry said the move was taken to pressure Israel to allow vital humanitarian aid into Gaza. “Turkey will strictly and resolutely implement the new measures until the Israeli government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” it said in a statement.
Adar added that the YRP also wants the government to send troops to Gaza and close a NATO radar center in Kurecik, a city in southeastern Turkey. The YRP believes the station was “established to protect” Israel, a charge the government denies.
Erdogan has not taken these steps. But in late July, he said there was “no reason” for Turkey not to intervene in Gaza, referring to other Turkish military interventions in the region.
While Turkey’s political landscape has been highly polarized in recent years, a recent incident on social media highlighted a rare moment of political unity.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz recently criticized Erdogan in a post on X, saying the president was turning the country into a “dictatorship” by blocking access to Instagram, apparently because the social media platform was removing posts expressing grief over Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated last week in the Iranian capital Tehran – a killing widely believed to have been carried out by Israel.
He tagged Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in an apparent attempt to exploit political divisions in favor of Israel. Imamoglu belongs to the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Imamoglu responded to Katz by saying: “We do not need to receive lessons in democracy and law from those who are responsible for the suffering and death of countless innocent people, including children.”
“It was a rather clumsy attempt (by Katz) to take advantage of Turkey’s internal political divisions, but unsurprisingly it backfired,” Edam’s Ulgen said.
Still, many are unhappy with the decision to suspend access to Instagram.
“The anecdotal reaction we see is that there is not a broad base of support for this ban because the ban is seen as a disproportionate measure and the most recommended measure is to have a firm dialogue with the management of the platform,” Ulgen explained.
“Instagram is also used by small and medium-sized businesses and now their business model will be undermined by this ban on access,” he added.
Serious damage
The ongoing war in Gaza has significantly strained relations between Israel and Turkey.
FPRI’s Koru explained that the Palestinian cause is generally a multi-party issue in Turkey, despite the often polarized political landscape.
He told Tel Aviv Tribune that secular nationalist parties may view the conflict through a human rights lens, while AKP supporters see it as a “civilizational” issue, as a war against their fellow Muslims, the faith to which most Palestinians adhere.
In any case, Koru cannot imagine any political faction trying to repair relations with Israel because of the extreme violence it has inflicted on Gaza.
“Almost everyone in Turkey agrees that the Palestinians are victims of horrific crimes by the Israelis and that every state should do something about it,” he said.