Turkish president Erdogan toned down celebrations for the Centennial of the Turkish Republic “in sympathy for those killed by Israel”, which the opposition interpreted as another attempt to undermine democracy and Kemalism (following the path of the Founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk).
In a widely government-sponsored rally in Istanbul on Saturday, he cried:
“Israel has been openly committing war crimes for 22 days, but the Western leaders cannot even call on Israel for a cease-fire, let alone react to it,” Erdogan told a crowd in Istanbul on Saturday, according to the Associated Press (AP).
“We will tell the whole world that Israel is a war criminal,” he added. “We are making preparations for this. We will declare Israel a war criminal.”
His outbursts had already killed all hopes of a thaw with the government of Israel. But, Erdogan’s continued harping on HAMAS may have determinantal effect beyond the Middle East. Israel’s stalwart ally USA is taking notice. If Erdogan continues act as the advocate of HAMAS, US Congress may veto a $20 bn F-16 sale, which the aging Turkish Air Force fleet desperately needs to remain operational.
Sen Lindsey Graham reacts to Erdogan
According to the Hill, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) said Turkey is becoming “The Squad” of NATO in Saturday comments, referring to an informal group of House Democrats.
“Seems that Turkey, particularly senior leadership, is setting itself up to be ‘The Squad’ of NATO,” Graham said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Very disappointing and destabilizing.”
Graham’s post also linked to a Fox News article on recent comments made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“Israel has been openly committing war crimes for 22 days, but the Western leaders cannot even call on Israel for a cease-fire, let alone react to it,” Erdogan told a crowd in Istanbul on Saturday, according to the Associated Press (AP).
“We will tell the whole world that Israel is a war criminal,” he added. “We are making preparations for this. We will declare Israel a war criminal.”
Israel said it is recalling its diplomats from Turkey Saturday in the wake of Erdoğan’s comments.
“Given the grave statements coming from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives there in order to conduct a reevaluation of the relations between Israel and Turkey,” Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in a post on X.
Graham’s post appeared to take a dig at the group of progressive lawmakers that includes Reps. Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Jamal Bowman (N.Y.) and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), some of who have been recently vocal about their pro-Palestinian stances on the Israel-Hamas war.
F-16 sale not a done deal yet
Defense News reported on Saturday that “Erdogan sent the ratification protocols for Sweden’s” NATO accession to parliament this week, but it’s unclear whether that’s enough to lock down the $20 billion sale for 40 new F-16s that Ankara seeks”.
That’s because the four key U.S. lawmakers who would need to greenlight the Block 70 F-16 fighter jets to Turkey are voicing concerns about other issues unrelated to Sweden’s NATO accession.
The chairs and ranking members of the foreign affairs committees in both the Senate and House can unilaterally place holds on arms sales. And as of right now, at least two of them won’t commit to signing off on the sale just yet.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., told reporters Thursday he’s pleased to see Turkey moving positively on Sweden’s NATO bid, noting “it’s clear that they had to get this done before we would consider arms sales.”
“But there are other issues that we evaluate on arms sales,” Cardin added. “The use of the weapons systems, the human rights issues and concerns that we have. So there are other issues that we’ll be looking at.”
“But I don’t want to give any signals right now because we haven’t had those conversations with the administration,” he said. “I first want to hear from the administration.”
The office of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul, R-Texas, did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
A spokesperson for Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the ranking member “looks forward to the Turkish parliament’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession, as well as the cessation of attacks on U.S. partners in the region, cooperation on countering illicit Russian financial flows and a de-escalation of tensions in the Aegean.”
“The transmission of these protocols alone has not changed his position, and he hopes they are immediately ratified and progress is made on all these issues,” Meeks’ spokesperson said.
Turkey launched its latest campaign against northeast Syria earlier this month after a group linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, attacked the Interior Ministry in Ankara, injuring two officers. The PKK is affiliated with the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria.
Turkey has previously used American-made F-16s it owns during its prior aerial attacks in northeast Syria. Turkey also stationed F-16s in Azerbaijan during the 2020 war with Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan won that war, and more than 100,000 Armenians fled the area in September, a move Armenia has described as ethnic cleansing.
Asked by Defense News about Turkey’s actions in Syria and Azerbaijan, Sen. James Risch of Idaho — the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — said he has concerns. However, he added, he may still give the greenlight for the F-16s should Turkey ratify Sweden’s NATO membership.
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