A leading media outlet in Turkey published an interview on Wednesday in which he strongly attacked Chabad Hasidism, calling it a "criminal organization" and accusing it of spying for the Mossad.
In an interview that appeared on the cover of Mili Gazet, a widespread, conservative, extremist and sometimes anti-Semitic media outlet, a senior official of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, an entity without international recognition controlled by Turkey, in which he lashed out at the organization and their representation in the republic.
In the interview, the official claims that Chabad members receive training in the United States and that they spy on the movements of the local army. "They buy properties near army bases and thus collect information about the activity of the forces. I reported it to the police, but they ignored it and even threatened my life," the official said.
Documentation: These are the suspects who worked for the Mossad in Malaysia // Arab networks
The article goes on to present claims against members of the organization, some of whom appear by name in the article, according to which Hasidism is connected to the "mafia" and that it managed to infiltrate the government apparatus in Northern Cyprus. In a particularly absurd claim, the anonymous official explains that Chabad members are working, under the guidance of Washington and the Mossad, to help the LGBT community in the Republic.
Dr. Asa Ophir, an expert on Turkish politics and history and a lecturer in the Department of Middle East and Political Science at Ariel University, explains: "The newspaper in which the statements were published belongs to the Felicity Party, which is allied with the opposition, but belongs to Erdogan's political stream."
Yossi Hadar and Dr. Asa Ophir, Photo: Gil Kramer
"Both parties grew out of the ideological habitat of a movement called the National View. An Islamist movement founded by Erdogan's political mentor, Najmatin Arbakan. There are no major ideological disagreements between the Felicity Party and Erdogan's party, the difference is that one is in power and therefore allows itself to be more pragmatic and conduct itself according to the greater needs of the country, and the other is in the opposition and therefore is more "liberated" to spread whatever information and ideas it wants," Ophir explains.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us