Here I explain how Erdogan wants to leverage detente with Syria’s Kurds for electoral support from Turkey’s Kurds. www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...

“Former hostage Arbel Yehoud, who was returned to Israel in January as part of a Gaza ceasefire agreement, says her Palestinian Islamic Jihad captors made it clear to her that they would kill her if the IDF discovered their location and came to rescue her” www.timesofisrael.com/former-hosta...

The Turkey-PKK peace process: no peace so far, and a very confused process.

Daren Butler, @reuters.com:

www.reuters.com/world/middle...

A Fragile Peace for Turkey and the Kurds by @asliaydintasbas buff.ly/2RJLNUZ

PKK made a statement yesterday, in which it refers to a reorganisation/restructuring process that Öcalan will start.

I read that as an indirect confirmation that Öcalan will make an announcement of sorts.
firatnews.com/guncel/pkk-1...

Three hostages released by Hamas reunited with mothers after ceasefire deal

U.S. welcomes Abdi-Barzani key meeting npasyria.com/en/121148/

"Diplomatic and military negotiators from the United States, Turkey, Syria and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are showing more flexibility and patience than their public statements suggest,

🇮🇱🇹🇷Believe half of what you read/hear about Israel and Turkey. But this interview with @glindenstrauss.bsky.social and @amberinzaman.bsky.social is the best you'll find on the subject to date: www.al-monitor.com/podcasts/wil...
.

2025 Predictions for Turkey’s Israel / Palestine Policy

With contributions by:
@selinnasi.bsky.social
@glindenstrauss.bsky.social
@istanbultelaviv.bsky.social

www.turkeyrecap.com/i/153969325/...

It's 2025 and we kicked off the year with a super-sized predictions issue.

🧵Scroll down for the full list of contributors and topics:

Aid for displaced people from #Afrin and Shahba arrive in Northeast Syria, sent from Şengal (Sinjar) Ira, a region predominantly home to Yezidi Kurds.

The developments in the Kurdish-dominated autonomous administration in northeastern Syria create dilemmas for Israel, first among which is what will happen if the United States decides to withdraw its forces. My new piece www.inss.org.il/publication/...

Extraordinary pace of changes today.
For years, Ankara promised to "clean up Tel Rifaat and Manbij" (RTE in 2022.) Now, HTS are doing the work.

Watch this space.

"Both Trump and Erdogan have demonstrated a tremendous capacity for compartmentalization. Nonetheless, the Israel-Palestine crisis is likely to remain a sore point between the two allies going forward. And depending on domestic political considerations on both sides, it could become a serious issue"

Ryan Gingeras hits the nail on the head for @warontherocks.bsky.social Greece and Turkey are ripe for a deal, but both doubt whether US can broker one warontherocks.com/2024/11/turk...

Nice to see this episode of BBC Monitoring’s Global Jigsaw podcast, which I contributed to, published.

Touches on the history of sexuality in Ottoman Empire and puts Turkey’s recent anti-LGBT panic in the context of a wider global right-wing backlash.

👇👇

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

President Herzog: “ Israel has never had any plans against Turkey...we have great respect to the people of Turkey...We have longstanding relations between the peoples, and the peoples will prevail over all voices that are adverse to friendship and coexistence.”
www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_ent...

Bahceli's handshake spectacle is part of a triple play of co-opt&discipline&divide aimed at the Kurdish movt&its various actors. It is about domestic concerns but not limited to it. Since April, Ankara's assumptions about power balance at the global&regional levels are shaken.