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Devlet Bahceli, leader of Türkiye's Nationalist Movement Party and a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called on Thursday for the formation of a strategic alliance between Türkiye, Russia, and China to counter what he described as an "evil coalition" led by the United States and Israel.
Bahceli, whose party has been a crucial coalition partner supporting Erdogan's government, proposed establishing what he termed a "TRC alliance" comprising Türkiye, Russia, and China. The nationalist leader presented this partnership as the most suitable response to global challenges posed by U.S.-Israeli cooperation.
The proposal comes as tensions escalate over Jerusalem, following remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that directly targeted President Erdogan. Netanyahu had declared during a Jerusalem event: "This is our city Erdogan. Not your city. Our city. It will always be our city. It will never be divided again."
Bahceli dismissed Netanyahu's statements as beneath consideration, saying they were "under our feet." The nationalist leader emphasized Türkiye's historical connection to Jerusalem, stating: "We had to leave Jerusalem a hundred years ago. But this time we will not abandon it to fate, and we must not."
The MHP leader specifically addressed Netanyahu's previous references to the Siloam Inscription, an ancient stone tablet housed in Istanbul that Israel has repeatedly requested. Bahceli characterized using the archaeological artifact to claim Jerusalem as "a manifestation of historical ignorance on one hand, and a fanatical and ignorant style on the other."
"If we start tracing back from 2,800 years ago, it will be clearly seen that the Turkish nation has rights and authority everywhere, in every geography," Bahceli stated, challenging the historical basis of Israeli claims to Jerusalem.
Bahceli framed his alliance proposal as a necessary response to what he called the "evil coalition challenging the world" formed by the United States and Israel. He argued that the TRC alliance would be "the most appropriate option in terms of reason, diplomacy, the spirit of politics, geographical conditions, and the strategic environment of the new century."
The nationalist leader, whose support has been instrumental in maintaining Erdogan's parliamentary majority, positioned the proposed alliance as a rejection of what he termed "despair, hopelessness, and lack of solutions." He declared that the Turkish nation and the Republic of Türkiye had "rejected despair, excluded lack of solutions, and pushed away hopelessness" in the new century.
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