Turkish lawmakers are set to assemble for a closed session next week to discuss Israel’s expansionist policies and Türkiye’s potential measures against it, according to a report in Turkish newspaper Sabah.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Defense Minister Yaşar Güler will be briefing the assembly, Sabah wrote.
Erdoğan said in a speech at Parliament on Wednesday that the Netanyahu administration’s next target may very well be “our lands” after its attacks in Lebanon. “The Israeli administration, which acts upon its delusion of the ‘Promised Land,’ will set its sights on our homeland after Palestine and Lebanon,” he said.
He said Türkiye would do whatever it can to adhere to its stance against Israel, “regardless of the price we may pay.”
“Israel’s aggression targets Türkiye as well. We will use all means at our disposal for our homeland and independence,” Erdoğan added.
Following his speech, Turkish opposition parties have called on the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) administration to inform the parliament, prompting the speaker’s office and AK Party to contact Fidan and Güler.
The closed session, which will be determined based on Erdoğan and the ministers’ schedule, is expected to take place on Thursday next week at the earliest.
In another speech in September, Erdoğan called for unity among Muslim countries as he highlighted that the current conflict was not between Israel and Palestine but “a fight between expansionist Zionism and Muslims defending their homeland.”
Türkiye itself accelerated normalization processes with Islamic countries with whom ties were lukewarm or nonexistent as the conflict raged on. Nowadays, it seeks to reach out to the Assad regime of Syria as Israel carries out strikes in Türkiye’s southern neighbor.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş confirmed on Thursday that such a meeting could take place after discussions with political parties.
“Our ministers might discuss Israel’s aggressive, expansionist policies and Türkiye’s potential policies at a closed session as they have similar matters before,” he told reporters.
He warned that the Gaza conflict has “long surpassed a mere regional problem.”
“Israel’s target is all nations in the region. All of humanity must do whatever it can to stop Israel’s aggression. From the Nile to the Euphrates, one of the fundamental targets of this ideology is Türkiye. It’s essential that Turkish people remain alert and take measures,” he said.
Ankara has been fiercely critical of Israel’s brutal offensive in Gaza, which it and others say amounts to genocide. It has also slammed many Western allies for their support of Israel and repeatedly called for Muslim unity to facilitate a desperately needed cease-fire.
Ankara urges Israel to reciprocate the constructive approach of the Palestinians in cease-fire negotiations and the international community to pressure Netanyahu’s government. Türkiye has also formally applied to join South Africa’s initiative to have Israel tried for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Türkiye is also preparing for the possible evacuation of Turkish citizens from Lebanon, where Israel’s attacks have reached the suburbs of the capital, Beirut.
