Former Turkish parliamentary speaker, deputy prime minister and a founding member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Bülent Arınç, has claimed that Israel has emerged as the primary beneficiary of the regime change in Syria, urging Turkey to play a pivotal role in shaping Syria’s future political landscape.
Arınç commented on Israel’s actions in Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad by Islamist rebels on December 8, as well as Turkey’s Syria policy, during a program on Ekol TV over the weekend.
“The greatest beneficiary of what has happened in Syria is Israel. Israel has ruined Iran, devastated Gaza and is now wrecking Syria,” Arınç claimed while highlighting the diminished regional influence of powers like Russia and Iran.
“What happens in Syria has always been a matter of concern for us in the past and remains so today,” the politician said, adding that Turkey must assert its presence at the table and take a leading role in shaping the new structure in Syria.
Arınç pointed to Israel’s growing regional leverage, alleging it has drawn a strategic line extending close to Turkey’s borders. He urged a more proactive stance beyond “prayers and good intentions.”
Contrary to Arınç’s claims, some political experts suggest that Turkey, which has supported armed opposition groups in Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011, is strategically the biggest winner in the ouster of Assad. The same experts name Russia and Iran as the biggest losers since Moscow was the Assad regime’s most important ally, and Tehran supported it with paramilitary forces. The Turkish government is now walking a careful line in its public support.
Arınç emphasized the importance of expertise in addressing Syria’s intricate demographic and cultural landscape. He pointed to Ahmet Davutoğlu, former foreign minister and AKP heavyweight who now leads the opposition Future Party (GP), as an individual with deep knowledge in these areas.
“We now need individuals who deeply understand Syria, not only in the realm of politics but also in its traditional cultural dimensions and the strategies that could lead to a successful restructuring of the region,” Arınç said.
The politician’s comments come as Turkey on Sunday signaled readiness to provide military support to Syria’s new Islamist-led government set up by rebels who overthrew Assad if it requests it.
“It is necessary to see what the new administration will do. We think it is necessary to give them a chance,” Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel alliance, which is rooted in Al-Qaeda’s Syria branch and designated a terrorist organization by many Western governments.
But HTS has sought to moderate its ideology and its transitional government has insisted the rights of all Syrians would be protected and that they will follow the rule of law.
The new administration, Güler said, had pledged to “respect all government institutions, the UN and other international organizations” and promised to report any evidence of chemical weapons to the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons.