Turkey

Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is located partially in the continent of Asia and partially in Europe. It shares borders with Greece and Bulgaria to the Northwest, Iran to the east and Iraq to the southeast. It also shares various borders with Syria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

70%-75% of Turkey's population are Turks, and 19% are Kurds, making them the country's largest minority group. The country's capital is Ankara, and the largest city and financial city is Istanbul.

As of November 2021, the President of Turkey is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has served in this position since 2014. Prior to that, he served as Prime Minister of the country from 2003-2014.

Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, an estimated 3.6 million Syrian refugees have taken up residence in Turkey, most of them living with temporary residence permits.

Changing Israeli attitudes, strikes in Syria, Turkey may view Israel as regional rival - analysis

This shift is not lost on Jerusalem. Increasingly voices in Israel and supporters abroad are depicting Turkey as an emerging threat, one similar to Iran.

AUGUST 26, 2026|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan holds a press conference during NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8. Relations between Israel and Turkey have repeatedly deteriorated and recovered, but their competing interests in post-Assad Syria have introduced a new source of strategic friction.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, December 29, 2025.

Israel’s close ties with Trump cannot replace strategic independence - opinion

Trump’s support for Israel is an asset, but Washington’s shifting priorities show why Jerusalem cannot afford strategic dependence.

AUGUST 26, 2026|BySHAY GAL

S Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack accompanies US President Donald Trump (not seen) during a press conference following the annual NATO Summit at Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on July 8, 2026; illustrative

US Ambassador Barrack has a unique position, balancing work in Syria, Turkey, Iraq - analysis

This month tensions exploded into view with Israeli airstrikes in northern Syria. Barrack, who has been playing an important role in Syria for the last year is now front and center.

AUGUST 26, 2026|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Members of Syrian Democratic Forces react after withdrawing from the front lines on the outskirts of the town of Tel Hamis following the agreement between the SDF and the Damascus government, which stipulates the withdrawal of the Syrian army and the SDF, in Qamishli, Syria, February 13, 2026.

Turkey's AK party welcomes dissolution of Kurdish-led SDF, eyes stronger Syrian alliance

Ankara has vowed to help Damascus rebuild the country and restructure its state institutions and armed forces, and it has provided Damascus with political and diplomatic support.

AUGUST 26, 2026|ByREUTERS

Iraq delays July public salaries as Strait of Hormuz blockade guts oil revenue

Iraq’s oil exports plunged from 100 million barrels in February to around 32 million in May and June, according to figures shown to The National by the country’s Oil Ministry.

AUGUST 5, 2026ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

Shia Muslims gather along the Bayn al-Haramayn or "between the two sanctuaries", a 378-meter open marble-paved avenue linking the Imam Hussein Shrine and Imam al-Abbas Shrine, in the city of Karbala on August 4, 2026.

Turkey to submit draft law allowing thousands of former PKK members to return, aims to end conflict

The draft law, some details of which surfaced last November, is focused on managing the return of PKK fighters and civilians from hideouts in northern Iraq, setting out how they will be processed.

AUGUST 5, 2026ByREUTERS

Fighters with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) walk for a disarmament ceremony marking a significant step toward ending the decades-long conflict between Turkey and the outlawed group, in the Qandil mountains, Iraq October 26, 2025.

Hamas shifts covert organizational units, activities to Turkey following Qatari crackdown

Palestinian sources say that the transfer to Turkey involves most of Hamas's covert activities, while Qatar will continue to host the terror organization's leadership and public-facing activities.

AUGUST 5, 2026ByJONAH DAVIDOV

Palestinian Hamas terrorists stand guard at a site as Hamas says it continues to search for the bodies of deceased hostages, in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip December 3, 2025.

The West’s illusions about Erdogan’s denialism was outrageous. The reaction to it was revealing

Erdogan, a major NATO leader had effectively declared his nation innocent of every crime commonly associated with the empire, and the world moved on with remarkable ease.

AUGUST 4, 2026ByMICHA DANZIG

Turkish President and Leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses to the party members during the AK Party Group Meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye in Ankara, Turkiye on February 25, 2026.

Trump’s Syria-Iraq pipeline plan aims to weaken Iran’s leverage - opinion

Trump is backing a revived Iraq-Syria oil pipeline to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and reshape Middle East energy.

AUGUST 4, 2026ByNEVILLE TELLER

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a bilateral meeting alongside the NATO leaders summit in Ankara, last month.

Qatar, Egypt, Turkey condemn Israeli military action in Gaza, say it undermines path to peace

On Friday US President Donald Trump announced that the Board of Peace had reached an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza.

AUGUST 4, 2026ByESTHER DAVIS

The inaugural Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, US, February 19, 2026.

The war against the Jewish state began long before Israel was established - opinion

The war against the Jewish state began almost 150 years ago, well before the Balfour Declaration and before the first Zionist Congress organized by Theodor Herzl in Basel in 1897...

AUGUST 3, 2026ByJACOB SIVAK

The surrender of Jerusalem, December 9, 1917.

Turkey accuses Netanyahu of undermining Gaza peace efforts

Turkey accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging mediation efforts and pursuing policies that undermine regional stability after Israel's latest strikes in Gaza.

AUGUST 3, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of male and female dormitories at Bogazici University, in Istanbul, Turkey, February 13, 2026.

Middle Israel: No one needs a tyrannical Turkey with F-35 fighter jets - opinion

No one needs a tyrannical Turkey: not the Arabs, not the Jews, not the Europeans, not the Americans, and not the rest of the world.

JULY 31, 2026ByAMOTZ ASA-EL

TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s efforts to purchase the world’s most advanced fighter jets should be resisted, not because of his Ottomanism, imperialism, or antisemitism, but because he is an engine of Islamist zeal, the writer argues. Here, Erdogan holds a joint press conference.

How Turkey became NATO’s indispensable partner - and a major force on the global stage - opinion

The Ankara summit confirmed Turkey’s transformation from a difficult ally into one of NATO’s most influential strategic powers.

JULY 31, 2026ByDAVID BEN-BASAT

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he arrives at the Bestepe Presidential Palace during a formal welcome for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.