Meir Ben-Shabbat: Erdoğan’s Turkey does not conceal its ambition to expand its regional influence. Erdoğan is pursuing an assertive foreign policy that combines military power with active diplomacy in order to position Turkey as a central actor in several arenas of conflict.
Turkey views itself as a patron of the Palestinian cause. It seeks to play a major role in the reconstruction of Gaza after the war and in a potential international stabilization force.
Erdoğan’s ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and with Hamas provide these organizations with meaningful political and logistical backing, making it more difficult for Israel to isolate them on the international stage. His alignment with Qatar on some of these issues further amplifies their influence and increases the challenge of confronting them.
Published in JNS, March 18, 2026.
*The opinions expressed in Misgav publications are the authors’ alone.
