President Biden's opinion piece published in The Washington Post over the weekend reveals how disconnected he is from reality. Biden makes a peculiar analogy by suggesting that Putin and Hamas are "fighting to erase their 'democratic neighbors' from the map." This is, at the very least, a strange comparison. Biden claims that these actors hope to benefit from the chaos they create by undermining regional stability and integration. However, it's evident that Biden fails to accurately contextualize Russia's invasion of Ukraine or Israel's actions in Gaza.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Berlin on Friday. Going to the German capital at the invitation of that country’s government, his meeting with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz related to bilateral economic relations, visa liberalization, irregular migration, the readmission agreement, NATO, relations with the European Union and major developments in the Middle East.

Perpetrating a massacre in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a backlash at home and from the international community. As President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned Netanyahu that he was destined to lose power, a prominent member of the Israeli opposition, Yair Lapid, argued that the time had come to replace the Israeli prime minister and form a new government.

While international law experts continue to debate this issue, the report published by Yücer Acer unequivocally supports this interpretation. According to the report, Israel not only operates in violation of international law but also perpetrates severe war crimes and genocide against Gazans.

Ahead of the meeting, the organization issued a statement to underscore that the event was held in response to the “dangerous developments” regarding the Palestinian question and the city of Jerusalem. In other words, that statement mentioned the protection of Jerusalem, the OIC’s original objective and the prevention of the massacre in Gaza simultaneously.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for the 16th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit. Besides attending ECO’s General Assembly meeting, he held meetings with the host, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, as well as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and President Ersin Tatar of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

Navigating a tumultuous week in the U.S. presidential race, it's evident that leadership crises persist in both parties. Tuesday's elections in Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky revealed that despite Biden's waning popularity, Republicans face an uphill battle. The ongoing potency of the abortion issue for Democrats and the sustained resistance against Trumpian candidates were evident. Surveys highlighting Biden's perceived disadvantage in age and the challenge of presenting a vibrant alternative to Trump contribute to the complexity.

Amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, a tragic situation unfolds daily, with thousands of civilians losing their lives. This includes the merciless killing of babies and children, the murder of pregnant women and their unborn children, and the targeting of ambulances carrying wounded individuals. Hospitals, schools, and refugee camps have become the target of bombings, while essential services like water, fuel, electricity, and internet access are cut off.

The pursuit of Turkic integration has been a cornerstone of Turkish foreign policy in recent years. That development was directly linked to the Central Asian republics “opening up” and seeking to perform a “balancing act” between the great powers. This also included Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan’s opening up to the world. At the same time, the ever-stronger strategic partnership between Türkiye and Azerbaijan changes the regional balance of power.

Israel has been targeting Palestinian people for decades. Palestinians living in tormented territories, namely the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip and occupied East Jerusalem, have been living under strict Israeli control. They cannot move without the permission of the Israeli security forces. Therefore, Palestinian people have been living under prison conditions. The blockade that has been implemented against Gaza keeps more than 2 million people in an open prison. Naturally, the conditions are unbearable. Everyone was expecting that sooner or later, this would explode, which it did on Oct. 7.

Burden of Holocaust past, Israeli lobby in country, influence of US, line of current coalition government might be 4 reasons

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Kazakhstan earlier this week to attend the 10th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). In addition to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov, Erdoğan met his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and attended the meeting of the OTS heads of states. The Turkish leader returned to Türkiye following his meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Friday.

The operation launched by Hamas against Israel on Oct. 7 continues, accompanied by Israel’s extensive air and ground operations. Israel’s military attacks carried out to overcome the shock experienced within the country, reestablish military deterrence and eliminate Hamas through the collective punishment method have now completed their 24th day.

Although the Palestinian question started after the emergence of Zionism as a political movement, it has been at the center of Middle East politics for a long time due to the consequences of the Arab-Israeli Wars and the Israeli occupation after the establishment of the state of Israel. Relegated by many to the background due to developments focusing on Iran and the Persian Gulf since 1979, the Palestinian question has continued as an unresolved “problem,” and today, it is again the most important item on the agenda in the Middle East and the world at large.

It is clear that Tel Aviv, which never again wants to see a similar attack to that of October 7, does not care about international reactions. A possible ground operation in Gaza, the opening of a new front by Hezbollah, new attacks in Syria, and further developments in the West Bank are among the hot topics on the current agenda. Our region may experience the horrific repercussions of ambitious deterrence.

In the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the ongoing Israeli retaliation, is there anything different in the U.S. government’s response this time around?

Hostage-taking is the enforced sequestration of persons as a means of pressuring a government. It is prohibited under international law. The most famous recent instance was the sequestration of diplomats of the United States 1979-1981 in Iran.