Erdogan directly challenged the geopolitical status of the Israeli capital by explicitly telling the Turkish parliament that ‘Jerusalem is our city’.
By Hezy Laing
Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen warns of Erdogan’s ambitions to renew dominance in the Middle East, including control of Jerusalem
In an in-depth strategic analysis with the TOV Hebrew media network, Hacohen warns of broad regional trends that threaten Israel.
Turkey aspires to revive the days of the Ottoman Empire, an aspiration that includes renewed dominance in the Syrian and maritime spheres, and even control over Jerusalem.
Hacohen emphasizes that the Turks are working to establish a “blue homeland” in the Mediterranean Sea, claiming vast waters with huge economic resources as its own and using the Turkish navy to demonstrate their presence.
This can also be seen in the occupation of Northern Cyprus.
Modern Turkey pursuit of “Neo-Ottoman” empire marks a significant departure from the isolationist framework established during the founding of the modern republic.
By leveraging cross-border military actions, sweeping maritime doctrines, and highly symbolic cultural reversals, the state systematically projects power well beyond its borders.
As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself has said, “Turkey is larger than Turkey,” and “The borders of our hearts are elsewhere,” referencing former Ottoman lands like Mosul and Kirkuk.
Turkey projects heavy military power directly into former Ottoman domains, establishing operational bases in Syria, Libya, and Somalia, as outlined by Arab News.
The government also explicitly invoked the legacy of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II when reverting the historic Hagia Sophia from a secular museum back into a functioning mosque.
Erdogan also systematically uses highly charged historical and religious rhetoric to claim a Turkish right of ownership over the Jewish city of Jerusalem.
He frequently leverages the 400-year legacy of the Ottoman Empire (1516–1917) to challenge Israeli sovereignty and rally regional support.
Erdogan directly challenged the geopolitical status of the Israeli capital by explicitly telling the Turkish parliament that “Jerusalem is our city, a city from us,” referencing the Ottoman retreat during World War I “in tears” and pointing out standing Ottoman architecture like the Old City walls.
In a direct public spat with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding ancient relics, Erdogan claimed that “Turkey will not give even a single pebble belonging to Jerusalem to Israel,” defining the city as a sacred trust for all humanity.
Following the 2017 United States decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Erdogan organized an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), declaring the American move “against ethics, history, and consciousness, and completely null and void.”
