Erdogan's hypocrisy: criticizes Israel while Turkey bombs Iraq and Syria

Following Wednesday's terrorist attack on a defense company near Turkey's capital Ankara that killed five people and injured 22, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government launched a series of attacks against Kurdish targets in Syria and Iraq.

The Turkish attack was carried out despite the fact that Erdogan has, on multiple occasions, harshly criticized Israel for its anti-terror counter-offensive in the Gaza Strip following the October 7 massacre, going so far as to call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "war criminal" and threatening to invade the Jewish state.

Turkey's heavy attacks against positions of Kurdish movements in Syria and Iraq

In Syria, Turkish attacks focused on the northeast of the country, where an autonomous region controlled by the Kurds is located.

In Al-Hasaka province, eight dead were reported in an airstrike against a power plant, while in Al-Qamishli, capital of the region, an offensive was reported against a position of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a military organization composed of Kurds and other ethnic groups in the area.

Overnight Wednesday, Turkish officials said their forces bombed 32 targets of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - a movement founded in Turkey in 1978 - "in northern Iraq and northern Syria."

The Turkish Defense Ministry stated that Turkish forces would "continue the fight against terrorism with determination and resolve until not a single terrorist remains."

It should be noted that both Ankara and Washington consider the PKK a terrorist organization, but differ on the status of Kurdish groups in Syria, which have been U.S. allies in the fight against the Islamic State in that country.

Turkish occupation of the Kurdish region in Syria

In recent years, Turkey has attacked numerous Kurdish targets in the northern regions of Iraq and Syria. Moreover, in the eastern sector of Turkish territory there is a large Kurdish minority, which raises concerns in Ankara, as it fears that the creation of a Kurdish state in the area would result in a claim of sovereignty over territories in Turkey.

In fact, Turkish forces have not only shelled Kurdish regions, they have also carried out land incursions into northern Syria in order to establish a security zone.

The Turks also occupy parts of northern Syria, thereby disrupting Kurdish territorial continuity.

Erdogan's contradiction

As mentioned, Erdogan has been waging a harsh military campaign against Kurdish positions for years and has responded forcefully to the recent terrorist attack in Ankara despite having lashed out harshly at Israel time and again for attempting to defend itself against terrorist groups, such as Hamas in Gaza, that make no secret of their genocidal intentions.

Israel has launched bombing raids against terrorist positions, raided Gaza in an attempt to wipe out Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other radical organizations, and is forced to set up security zones and checkpoints to prevent attacks. However, Erdogan considers that only when Israel does so is it a war crime. In contrast, he claims that when his government acts the way it has been doing against the Kurds it is an act of self-defense.

Erdogan has not only criticized Israel, he is also considered a Hamas ally, as he has held friendly meetings with its leaders, expressed condolences to the terrorist organization after the Israelis recently eliminated Yahya Sinwar. Yahya Sinwar, Hamas leader in Gaza, and declared a national day of mourning for the death of Ismail Haniyeh, the Palestinian Islamist group's political officer, in an operation attributed to Israel in Tehran, Iran, last July 31.

In contrast to Erdogan, Israel has been willing in the past to accept the creation of a Palestinian state in exchange for painful concessions. These agreements have always been rejected by the Palestinian leadership, which seeks only to destroy Israel. However, Erdogan, for his part, rejects the idea of making concessions for the formation of an independent Kurdistan.

In fact, while the current situation is complex and the creation of a Palestinian state seems a long way off, in Israel they would be willing to accept it if it were actually formed in exchange for peace, while Erdogan does not even analyze the possibility of the Kurds having their own state.