Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has accused Israel of seeking to create a “Greater Israel” that extends beyond Palestinian land into parts of neighboring countries that include Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and Türkiye. “There are two reasons underlying Israel’s expansionism. The first is to enlarge its territories and establish Greater Israel,” Fidan said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Sept. 14, reported Middle East Eye. “The second is to keep the countries in the region weak, ineffective, and especially to leave Israel’s neighboring states divided. …
“The issue is no longer just the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in our region. It is not only about Israel’s occupation of Palestine or its continuation of genocide in Gaza. It is also about Israel’s pursuit of regional expansionism,” he added.
AP acknowledged early Sept. 14 concerns in Ankara that Türkiye could be Israel’s next target. Turkish Defense Ministry spokesman Rear Adm. Zeki Akturk warned in Ankara Sept. 11 that Israel would “further expand its reckless attacks, as it did in Qatar, and drag the entire region, including its own country, into disaster.”
After Israel’s attacks on the territory of Iran, Syria, Yemen and now Qatar, Türkiye is bound to be concerned by Israel’s ability to freely use the airspace of neighboring states, the AP report continues. “Israel’s ability to conduct strikes with seeming impunity, often bypassing regional air defenses and international norms, sets a precedent that deeply worries Ankara,” said Serhat Suha Cubukcuoglu, director of Trends Research and Advisory’s Türkiye program. Türkiye sees these attacks as a “broader Israeli strategy to establish a fragmented buffer zone of weak or pacified states around it,” he added.
