Erdoğan’s Dual Strategy: Condemnation of Israel, Crackdown on the Kurds...


In a dramatic move on the international stage, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has not only condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza but accused it of genocide against Palestinians. This has resonated across the Middle East, with Erdoğan urging Arab nations to stand united against what he describes as an impending Israeli threat that extends beyond Gaza. At the same time, Erdoğan has escalated attacks on Kurdish groups, launching over 130 airstrikes in Syria’s northern regions and targeting what Turkey identifies as Kurdish “terrorist” positions.

The simultaneous condemnation of Israel alongside heavy-handed military actions against Kurdish populations presents a multifaceted political strategy for Erdoğan. By intensifying Kurdish repression domestically and abroad, while publicly positioning himself as a defender of Palestinian rights, Erdoğan appears to be recalibrating Turkey’s regional policy to consolidate his standing domestically and shore up influence within the wider Middle East.

Erdoğan’s Escalation Against the Kurds

Wednesday marked a grim escalation in Erdoğan’s decades-long struggle against Kurdish independence movements, especially the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Following an attack on the Turkish aerospace firm TUSAS in Ankara, Turkey unleashed a wave of air and ground strikes targeting Kurdish positions across northern Syria and Iraq. The attacks were extensive: Turkey’s Defense Ministry reported that a “self-defense” operation struck 32 sites connected to PKK militants, reportedly leading to widespread civilian casualties, factory destruction, and infrastructural damage in Kurdish areas.

The escalation has drawn condemnation, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reporting that over 100 airstrikes targeted northeastern Syria, resulting in 17 deaths and injuring more than 60 individuals. The strikes have led to demonstrations against Turkey’s actions across Syria, with some alleging Turkey used the TUSAS attack as a pretext to target Kurdish areas irrespective of PKK involvement.

This approach represents Erdoğan’s long-standing resistance to Kurdish independence. Turkey’s national narrative brands Kurdish efforts for autonomy as existential threats. Ankara remains deeply opposed to Kurdish aspirations for an independent Kurdistan, a sentiment deeply ingrained within Turkey’s national security strategy. This perception has historically led Turkey to disregard collateral damage in Kurdish communities as it continues its campaign to subdue Kurdish movements in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.

Erdoğan’s Rhetoric and Strategy in the Middle East

Simultaneously, Erdoğan’s portrayal of Israel’s Gaza operation as “genocide” is a powerful rhetorical pivot that attempts to reshape his international image. He has cast Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “the Hitler of our time” and accuses Israel of plotting beyond Gaza with designs on Turkey. Such statements resonate widely across the Arab world, where Erdoğan has increasingly found an audience willing to embrace his anti-Israel stance.

This rhetoric, however, appears paradoxical when juxtaposed with Erdoğan’s own tactics against the Kurds. Critics argue that by condemning Israel’s military actions while deploying his forces against Kurdish civilians, Erdoğan employs a selective humanitarianism tailored to his strategic goals. For some, this selective moral outrage underscores the duality in Erdoğan’s foreign policy, which combines harsh domestic repression with vocal opposition to actions abroad that mirror his own policies at home.

The PKK and the Struggle for Kurdish Independence

The PKK has been a central focus of Turkish security concerns for over 40 years. Originally formed in 1978, the PKK’s mission has evolved from demanding Kurdish rights to advocating for an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey. Declared a terrorist organization by Turkey and many Western countries, the PKK has pursued its objectives through a blend of political activism and armed resistance. Turkish efforts to contain the PKK’s influence have often crossed into neighboring countries, sparking tension and complicating relations with Iraq and Syria, both home to sizable Kurdish populations.

The Ankara bombing last Wednesday, for which the PKK later claimed responsibility, came at a moment when Turkish-Kurdish tensions had already flared. Turkish officials seized on the incident, framing it as justification for Turkey’s intensified campaign against Kurdish groups. This approach not only solidifies Erdoğan’s domestic narrative of Kurdish groups as a national security threat but further galvanizes his support among nationalist Turks.

Regional Implications: A Fractured Middle East

Erdoğan’s realpolitik calculations reverberate through the region. Kurdish communities span multiple Middle Eastern countries, including Iraq, Syria, and Iran, forming an ethnic network that frequently crosses into political alliances. Kurdish groups have historically expressed sympathetic ties with Israel, a relationship that emerged as both parties found themselves isolated and occasionally persecuted within their broader regions. Israel’s close cooperation with Iraqi Kurdistan, an autonomous region with substantial oil resources, complicates the triangular relations among Turkey, Israel, and the Kurds.

With Erdoğan’s rhetoric against Israel intensifying, he risks further isolating Turkey from Western alliances while enhancing his influence over Arab publics. The contradictions within his policy — condemning alleged “genocide” in Gaza while deploying aggressive military force against Kurdish populations — reflect a larger, more fragmented regional environment in which each actor seeks to gain leverage, sometimes at the cost of regional stability.

The Calculated Duality in Erdoğan’s Strategy

For Erdoğan, this dual-track strategy is calculated. His condemnation of Israel aligns with his effort to position Turkey as a regional power standing up for the Palestinian cause, a role that resonates with both Turkey’s Islamist base and a wider Arab audience. Meanwhile, his aggressive stance against Kurdish aspirations for independence secures him the support of Turkish nationalists, whose backing remains critical to his hold on power.

By simultaneously posturing as a defender of oppressed Palestinians and prosecuting a harsh campaign against Kurdish populations, Erdoğan channels two powerful political currents that reinforce his authority. This duality may serve his political survival, but it places Turkey on an increasingly isolated path internationally, as Erdoğan’s strategic alliances grow ever more fragmented.

In the context of Middle Eastern power politics, Erdoğan’s approach speaks to a broader theme: the use of foreign policy as an instrument for domestic consolidation. For Turkey, the question now remains whether Erdoğan’s balancing act will yield a position of strength or reveal deeper fractures in Turkey’s standing on the world stage.

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