Taking Turkish President Erdogan At His Word

Those who for years tolerated Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Turkey providing sanctuary to Hamas, who dismissed the hosting of the terror organization's command centers and offices in Istanbul, or who remained silent about the patronage he extended to Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, are now witnessing Turkish sponsorship of a jihadist coalition in new Syria – one whose terrorist past is stained with blood at least as much as Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre, if not more.

Donald Trump's new Middle East team, and certainly Israel, need to start seeing Erdogan exactly as he chooses to present himself and interpret his current and future moves precisely as he defines them. Erdogan sees himself as the global leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and views Hamas as a liberation movement rather than a terrorist organization. He speaks of a regional Islamic caliphate and revival of the Ottoman Empire. He calls on Turkish immigrants across Europe to have more and more children, claiming "they are Europe's future."

Turkish organizations from Erdogan's school of thought operate in Jerusalem, Haifa, Jaffa, Lod, and Ramla. It's the same "dawa" and the same "quiet jihad" that channels money and funds "charity, culture and community activities" in many places worldwide. This is his way of gaining ever-increasing influence.

Just two years ago, Erdogan was still courting Herzog and Netanyahu, but Oct. 7 and the dramatic events in Syria have torn away all his masks (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
However, Erdogan himself, beyond the torrent of slurs he has hurled at Israel and its leaders – from "criminals" and "Zionist terror organization" to "Nazis" and "Hitler" – has long moved past quiet jihad.

We simply need to listen to his words and believe he means what he says – exactly as we should have done with Hamas, but failed. Last July, for instance, Erdogan made a military threat against Israel when he declared: "Just as we entered Karabakh and Libya - we can do something similar to Israel." Five months later, Turkey has at least partially fulfilled this threat through the new Syrian jihadist army, and is now closer to our northern border than ever before.

One needs only to examine al-Jolani and his companions' blood-soaked history in Iraq during the early 2000s, to review the names of hundreds of Islamic State militants in the ranks of the SNA, "Syrian National Army" (or those affiliated with it), to understand what kind of liability their new patron, Erdogan, is becoming for Israel.

After Oct. 7, the Turkish megalomaniac chose the side of evil and the axis of evil, and there is no longer any fundamental difference between him and Qatar and Iran. Will Turkey now become the "new Iran"? It's too early to assess, but what it is now is certainly enough for the Trump administration, and especially Israel, to reassess both the immediate and long-term dangers posed by this country that is still (incredibly) a NATO member.

We must not be mistaken about Erdogan again. Just two years ago, he was still courting President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help him find pathways to America's heart and especially its wallet, but the massacre and the war, and now the dramatic events in Syria, have torn away all his masks. Thus, the other day, Erdogan spoke in the city of Mardin near Syria and responded to his audience, who shouted, "Mr. President, take us to Jerusalem" – with the words "patience brings victory."

 Nadav Shragai write for Israel Hayom, from where this article is republished.