Kurdish spokesperson: ‘The Turkish state’s goal
is to bring the whole of Syria under its control’
“Jacobin is a leading voice of the American left, offering socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture.” As such, what it says must be taken with considerable reserve. But there is evidence beyond this of Erdogan’s expansionist goals; this interview just confirms what those who have been watching him already knew.
‘Erdoğan Wants to Bring All of Syria Under Turkish Control'
An interview with Îlham Ehmed by Justus Johannsen, Jacobin, December 20, 2024:
On December 8, Bashar al-Assad boarded a plane to Moscow. His flight marked the end of the Syrian Ba’ath Party and the end of over half a century of rule by the Assad family, who governed the country through torture and intense police surveillance. Since then, many Syrians have been searching for their abducted relatives, and mass graves have been found all over the country. It is estimated that 100,000 people have been arrested and tortured since 2013 alone; over 150,000 are still missing. There is great joy at the end of the Assad regime, but this is also mixed with fear for the future. The country’s new rulers, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have their roots in ISIS (the so-called Islamic State) and the Al-Nusra Front. Many other groups fear that oppression and repression will now continue under a new flag. These fears are particularly strong in the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES).
A Kurdish-led, quasi-autonomous region, DAANES covers around a third of Syria’s territory and is still not officially recognized by anyone. It has advanced a unique democratic project and push for gender equality, and all positions in its autonomous administration are filled equally by men and women. But it also faces major challenges, in particular the war that Turkey has been waging against it for some years. Turkey launched its first military offensive on the ground in 2016 and has occupied the Afrîn region since 2018, as well as Serê Kaniyê and Girê Spî since 2018. Assad’s downfall has given new impetus to Turkey and the mercenaries it supports. There is currently even a threat of an attack on Kobanê, the city that more than any other symbolizes the fight against ISIS.
Îlham Ehmed is one of DAANES’s two representatives for foreign relations. Ehmed herself is Kurdish and was born in Afrîn. She has been campaigning for a democratic and pluralistic system in the region since 1990. Today she represents the self-administration on an international level and is a key figure for post-Assad Syria. In an interview with Justus Johannsen for Jacobin.de, she explains how the fall of Assad will affect the autonomous administration’s future….
Îlham Ehmed: Turkey used the developments in Syria to employ Islamist mercenaries under its control to attack the Til Rifat region, where tens of thousands of refugees from the Afrîn region, which has been occupied since 2018, are living. This led to the displacement of around 150,000 people, who were forced to flee to the self-governing areas east of the Euphrates. As a result, Turkey also attacked the city of Manbij with its mercenary Syrian National Army [SNA]. However, a cease-fire agreement, which provided for the withdrawal of all military units and the establishment of a civilian administration in Manbij, was broken by Turkey and has still not been implemented.
Kurds in particular, who make up around 30 percent of the population of Manbij, and those who were actively involved in the autonomous administration, were forced to flee as they were exposed to attacks by Turkish-sponsored mercenaries. There was looting, displacement, and war crimes. The attack on Manbij was not aimed at liberating the city from the Assad regime but was directed against the majority-Arab Manbij Military Council, which is part of the DAANES. This military council has been protecting the city from attacks by Turkey since its liberation from so-called Islamic State.
Justus Johannsen: What is Turkey’s goal in Syria?
Îlham Ehmed: The Turkish state’s goal is to bring the whole of Syria under its control. It is already presenting itself as the one in charge of Syria and giving instructions on what to do and what not to do. Turkey is now planning to use its Islamist mercenaries to conquer the remaining areas by force. As a NATO member, Turkey is acting in the region in accordance with NATO strategy. Although the US has attempted to resolve the conflict through dialogue, it is clear that Turkey rejects dialogue and is committed to war. It is therefore urgently necessary to take a clear stance against Turkey’s occupation policy and destabilization of the region….
THE NEXT WAR: Erdogan’s Son Calls
On Turkey To Take Over Israel
Since the fall of Syria one thing has been clear, the biggest winner has been Turkey. With that win, Erdogan has increased his antagonistic statements against Israel. Not only that, he continues to crush the Syrian Kurds and increases his alliance with Islamist HTS who now controls Damascus.
Despite a continuing stream of statements flowing from the west that Erdogan’s verbiage should be regarded as empty rhetoric for the masses, one thing Israel has learned from October 7th is believe your enemies when they say they want to kill you. Erdogan has always said he wants to “free palestine” and conquer Jerusalem. Now that he essentially controls Western Syria except for the two Russian bases in Latakia and Tartus and the Haroun region which is made up of the Golan, Daraa, and the As Sweida governates, his dreams of restoring the Ottoman empire have come closer.
In a show of strength that Erdogan does in fact mean business, Erdogan’s son Bilal led a rally two days ago with the goal of showing support for Turkey conquering Jerusalem. This is not the first time Bilal has backed his father’s anti-Israel agenda.
The Nordic Monitor wrote about Bilal’s antisemitic views in an article published in August: “In an interview during a rally he led on August 3 to protest the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Bilal Erdogan described Israel as being driven by what he referred to as a “deviant ideology” and labeled Jews as a race condemned by God. He alleged that Jews see themselves as the world’s masters and, as a result, believe they have the right to claim the lives and properties of others.”
This is, of course, a Satanic Reversal. It is completely true of Islam, but not Israel.
All of this shows that Erdogan’s speeches declaring his coming liberation of Jerusalem are not to be belittled, but rather taken seriously. While Turkish forces are currently attempting to eradicate the Kurdish led SDF, it is clear that their next stop will be Israel. It is for this reason that the IDF was ordered to move into Syria and establish a far reaching security zone. Israel is also flirting with supporting the Kurds in the north of Syria in order to expand their ability to drain Erdogan of resources before he moves south.
Expect both Turkey and Israel to continue to make moves in Syria. Israel will increase its partnership with the Kurds and the Druze with a potential announcement in support of a Kurdish State. Israel will also move further east into Syria in order to create a larger buffer zone.
Turkey will continue to use the Syrian National Army (SNA), a Turkish proxy to push back on the USA backed SDF in hopes of extinguishing Kurdish desires for a Syrian Kurdistan. With Trump looking to pull back from the Middle East, expect his team to empower Israel to back the Kurds in their fight. If that alliance can grow and be nurtured, Erdogan may yet be stopped well before he is capable of doing serious damage to Israel and the region’s minorities.
Is it sheer madness, or is it demonic possession?
Nearly two-thirds in Gaza and Judea and Samaria
want Hamas in new ‘Palestinian’ governing body
Yes, even after Oct. 7. Yes, even after Hamas has suffered devastating losses in Gaza.
Two-thirds of Palestinians want Hamas in new Gaza government,
survey finds
JNS, December 24, 2024:
Close to two-thirds of Palestinians in Gaza, Judea and Samaria prefer for Hamas terrorists to be part of, or even lead, a Palestinian governing body that would control the Strip after the current war with Israel concludes, according to a new Arab opinion poll published over the weekend.
The Ramallah-based Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) polling firm surveyed 704 Palestinian adults between Nov. 27 and Dec. 2. (The margin of error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points, AWRAD said.)
According to the poll, 47% of Palestinians say they would put their trust in a government of “national unity” that would include Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction, which currently governs swaths of Judea and Samaria, as well as Hamas, the terror group that ruled Gaza until it was destroyed by the Israel Defense Forces in recent months.
Meanwhile, 17% of the surveyed Palestinians told AWRAD they favor a return to the situation in which Gaza is ruled solely by Hamas terrorists.
In Judea and Samaria, respondents showed significantly more support for Hamas than for the Western-backed P.A., with 25% expressing support for the Islamist terrorist organization, compared to just 10% for the P.A.
Hamas led the bloody terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which 1,200 people were murdered, thousands more were wounded and over 250 innocents were taken as hostages to the Strip.
Asked about possible P.A. presidential candidates if Ramallah would call its first vote in almost 19 years, Marwan Barghouti, a convicted terrorist murderer affiliated with Fatah serving multiple life sentences in Israel, received the most support of all possible candidates for P.A. chief….
There is simply no hope for these people. Their madness is beyond redemption.
Former Portuguese ambassador to Qatar says
Qatar dreams of establishing Islamic caliphate
Beyond the World Cup, they’ve spent staggering amounts of money buying influence in American universities and elsewhere. It has been a successful influence operation. Still, gaining hegemony over the other Sunni countries seems unlikely.
‘Establish Islamic Caliphate, build Europe’s largest mosque’, claims European leader about this Muslim nation, not Saudi Arabia, UAE, it is…
by Tahir Qureshi, India.com, December 24, 2024:
Lisbon: The Gulf Muslim country, which earns a lot of money from oil and gas, is engaged in a project to implement the Islamic Caliphate. For this, it is spending money with an open hand. This claim was made by former Portuguese ambassador to Qatar and politician António Tânger Corrêa. He said Qatar is using billions of dollars from gas exports to help it achieve its dream of re-establishing the caliphate.
António Tânger Corrêa said that we should not hold the Football World Cup and other such big events in Qatar. These events provide Qatar with an international platform from which to elevate its agenda.
“When they decided to stop the bullfight in Barcelona, Qatar wanted to buy the bullfight ground and build the largest mosque in Europe in its place”, he claims.
The Portuguese politician claimed that Qatar dreams of establishing the caliphate once again.
“I know what I’m saying. I have been in Qatar. I have served there as an ambassador”.
“He claimed that Qatar has a very bad system. There is a lot of strictness on the labourers working there. Passports and other things are taken from them. They are forced to live in poor conditions. They act like modern slaves,” said Correa….
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