Ibrahim Karagül, confidant of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and editor-in-chief of the Yeni Safak daily, the mouthpiece of Turkey's leading AKP party, warned that a "new axis" is promoting a Turk-Arab war in the Middle East. According to Karagül, this new axis is formed by the US, UK, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Karagül asserted that Saudi Arabia is the axis's main economic power, whereas the UAE directs regional traffic for the axis. The axis opposes Turkey and its goal is to eject Turkey from the region and confine it within the borders of Anatolia.
Karagül stressed that the front that was built against the Ottoman Empire in WWI is being rebuilt now against Turkey. He then added that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) and the UAE's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ) are trying to foment anti-Turkey and anti-Ottoman sentiment in the region by inciting a new wave of Arab nationalism.
However, Karagül emphasized that MbS and MbZ's plan is doomed to failure, since they will not manage to mobilize the Arab executive elites on their side. Furthermore, Karagül warned that this plan will put the Saudi nation in "grave danger."
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are under the illusion that they are the real power behind the new axis, but they are being effectively manipulated by the West, since Washington is "targeting the entire region." Karagül added that, by standing with the West, Saudi Arabia will become an open target after Syria. "This is the result of being dependent on the West and political blindness," Karagül opined.
Below are excerpts from Karagül's op-ed, titled "What does 'preparing for a major situation' mean? Does someone want a Turk-Arab war? The Mecca-Medina battle will begin... Pay attention to our region during the election period!"[1]
Preparation For A Regional War
"... Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming visit to Bahrain after Oman, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder and the strange traffic between the UAE, Gulf countries, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt present concerning signs. This is the comment made by Netanyahu's office regarding his upcoming visit to Bahrain: 'This visit is only a prelude for something bigger, for another Middle East. It is the start for new relations and an indication that we are on the right track to correct history...'
"I interpreted this description as a regional war. I read it as the primary preparations of a regional war that will include all the countries between the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
"Fronts are being constructed for a new axis that is going to stand against Turkey and try to push it outside the region to build a new one...
"All the bosses are clear. The US, UK, and Israel. The main undertaker in terms of economy and power is Saudi Arabia. This is why Crown Prince Salman, who gave the order for the Khashoggi murder, was made the leader of Saudi Arabia. The person running the regional traffic for all this is the Crown Prince of UAE’s Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed.
"The invasion front from a century ago has been reconstructed. This plan, which appears to be aimed at punishing Iran, is designed to push Turkey completely outside the region and confine it within the borders of Anatolia"
"There Are Circles Establishing The Front That Was Built Against The Ottoman Empire In World War I Against Turkey Now"
"Saudi Arabia, the key country in the project, must decide between saving the day or saving its future. If it becomes occupied by saving the day, both the country and the region will be annihilated. Saudi Arabia may save the crown prince and make it through the day but it will lose the future. Because if it does this, Saudi Arabia will become a 'hostage country' in the complete sense.
"The project implemented through Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed will lead to the destruction of the region, and prior to that, the division of Saudi Arabia. Zayed's operations aimed at every location around the Red Sea-Persian Gulf region, especially Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Armenia, Somalia, Sudan, and Egypt, are foreign interventions and the preparation for a major project's infrastructure.
"This person interfering in every region in a way that completely surrounds Turkey is not the UAE's plan, but a multinational scenario. Furthermore, this person financing terrorism, organizations and assassination teams is a sign of a wicked future. There are circles establishing the front that was built against the Ottoman Empire in World War I against Turkey now.
"This scenario is being forged with the UAE's money, and the Saudis' money and power. Those implementing the project are Zayed and Salman. They are promoting this by winning the West's favor with 'moderate Islam.' They are trying to gain some room to mobilize by freezing Israeli-Arab problems. And they are trying to achieve this with the provocation of anti-Turkey and anti-Ottoman sentiment by inciting a new wave of Arab nationalism.
Bin Salman with Bin Zayed (Source: Alarabiya.net)
An Turk-Arab War Won't Happen; The Arab Elites Does Not Stand With Saudi Arabia And The UAE
"The mind behind the new axis wants a Turk-Arab war. The scenario from a century ago has been put on stage again. Yet while it is obvious that they will be unsuccessful, the mobilization of certain Arab executive elites in this direction is very unfortunate. When the time comes, we watch altogether how these circles' political future will be destroyed.
"We have already started to see it. Turkey is aware of all these plans and is making moves accordingly. It will not fall for this game and has proved this. Because Turkey will be duped into this ploy [sic], no regional-scale plan will work."
Saudi Arabia Is Going To Become An "Open Target" After Syria
"I will say something even more important: These plans are all being implemented through the Riyadh administration's political blindness. The price of this blindness will be paid by the Saudi nation and people. This is the nation that is in grave danger. This is the country that is going to become an open target after Syria. This is the country the trap is being set against through the two crown princes.
"Danger is knocking at Saudi Arabia’s door. Up until today, Arab countries have never been able to demonstrate the strength and initiative to thwart any international threat targeting them. This is the result of being dependent on the West and political blindness.
"It is the inability to perceive the full Western plans targeting the entire region. It is because they believe they will be able to save themselves with good relations with the US and Western countries. However, this is a centuries-old plan, not a process that can be managed with good relations. There is no possibility of overcoming this without a good future perspective.
"Currently, Saudi Arabia has been turned in to a playground, a plundering area, and this has further increased Riyadh's surprise. So much so that it is unable to develop even the initiative that may arise from the crown prince crisis. It cannot see that if it fails to do this, it will not be able to take the next step(s). Imagine a crown prince that has been this scarred came to the helm of Saudi Arabia. Where would this country stand in the international purview? The Riyadh administration cannot even see this.
"The smackdowns in the region since the 1991 Gulf War have been shaped and implemented through the Saudis' political blindness. Observe the activity on the Arab-Persian border. Up until 1991, the Iraq-Iran border was the Arab-Persian border. Now, this border has moved all the way to the Saudi Arabian border.
"I seriously feel that Mecca-Medina debates are approaching. Especially after the last secret Jerusalem agreement, Turkey and other Muslim countries should try to develop political ideas regarding these two sacred areas – at least in their minds – from now. Because the West has already started to plot scenarios.
"... We are going to see very rapid developments in our region. However, Turkey is long over being a country that withdraws into its own shell and forgets the outside world. If they have such ideas, it will not work."
[1] Yenisafak.com, November 24, 2018.
