Selin Girit

Senior Journalist @BBC | Covering Turkey, ME and beyond @BBCWorldService | Previously BBC Turkey Bilingual Correspondent

[Selin Girit @selingirit]

This week, #BBCGlobalEye reports from Turkey — a country at the crossroads of Europe and the Middle East, where geography shapes power and politics. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long positioned Turkey as a global bridge, able to mediate between rivals. But in a rapidly changing world, can Turkey hold on to that role? Watch full programme here: https://t.co/SCJ6GaXc5d

[BBC News (World) @BBCWorld]

Turkey police raid opposition TV station, halting live broadcasts https://t.co/JCnLJ6P9p6

[Haaretz.com @haaretzcom]

🚨Haaretz exposé: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received an explicit warning from UAE President bin Zayed days before October 7. He didn't brief Israel's security chiefs. @shlomieldar

🔗Link to full exposé in bio

Photos: Haim Goldberg/Flash90, Khalil Hamra/AP, Mandel Ngan/AFP. Editing: Masha Tzur

[Selin Girit @selingirit]

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announces sanctions on Israeli settlements in West Bank, says ethnic cleansing is being carried out by "settler terrorists" and accuses the Israeli government of turning a blind eye https://t.co/W9tN3dmGsg

[Erik Meyersson @emeyersson]

This morning's Haaretz bombshell article claims Netanyahu received a direct, explicit warning from UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed (MBZ) about 10 days before October 7, and never passed it on to Israel's security chiefs. The warning was that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation against Israel.

The warning reportedly stemmed from a secret backchannel, through which Israel and Hamas had been quietly negotiating a temporary truce and prisoner/hostage-body exchange throughout 2023, with Netanyahu's knowledge but repeated delays on his part. As talks stalled and Sinwar "vanished" in early September, he later used the same channel to warn twice that Hamas was preparing a "zilzal" (earthquake). This warning reached Israel's Shin Bet on September 15, triggering security meetings on September 17 and October 1, but no decisive action was taken.

The article also reports on early, reportedly serious offers from Hamas (via the network of Mohammed Dahlan) to release all civilian hostages unconditionally in the days right after Oct 7, and a parallel Qatari mediation offer to the head of Mossad) both of which Israeli officials reportedly rebuffed or failed to take seriously), as the political and military leadership turned its focus on on destroying Hamas rather than negotiating with it.

Israel elections are scheduled for Oct 27th.

[Reuters @Reuters]

Turkish parliament passes landmark law to advance PKK peace process https://t.co/L3UszqGb5U https://t.co/L3UszqGb5U

[Selin Girit @selingirit]

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has just announced that he is resigning. He said he'd remain in post as prime minister until a new leader was chosen. UK is now on course for its its fifth prime minister in five years. Andy Burnham is seen as the top contender.

[Selin Girit @selingirit]

Erdogan shuts down major university on Thursday, then reopens it on Sunday.: “The presidential decree that had canceled the university's operating permit was annulled by another presidential decree”

[BBC News Türkçe @bbcturkce]

Bilgi Üniversitesi üç gün sonra tekrar açıldı: Üniversitenin faaliyet iznini iptal eden cumhurbaşkanı kararı, başka bir cumhurbaşkanı kararıyla yürürlükten kaldırıldı https://t.co/w3c1D4QdfH

[BBC News (World) @BBCWorld]

Turkish police storm opposition offices after leaders ousted https://t.co/EnyupImmDh

[Selin Girit @selingirit]

Let that sink in: Riot police storm a political party more than a century old, the very party founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself

[Reuters @Reuters]

Turkish riot police fired tear gas and forced their way into the main opposition party's headquarters to evict its ousted leadership, deepening a crisis at the heart of Turkey's democracy https://t.co/Riv9nLhYiG

[Selin Girit @selingirit]

Striking scenes from Turkey. Riot police fired tear gas and forced their way into the headquarters of the main opposition party CHP to remove its ousted leadership. Earlier this week, a court annulled the results of the CHP’s 2023 congress, where Özgür Özel had been elected party leader, effectively removing him from office. Özel and his allies were pushed out of party headquarters and are now marching towards parliament in protest. Turkish democracy enters yet another period of deep turmoil

[Selin Girit @selingirit]

Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel has vowed to fight a court ruling removing him and fellow party leaders, in the latest legal move that helps cement President Erdoğan's grip on power. The appeal court declared the 2023 leadership election in Özel's CHP null and void, prompting thousands of demonstrators to gather outside party headquarters in Ankara. "We are experiencing a dark day for Turkish democracy," said Özel https://t.co/HlUyrxGf0E

[Özgür Özel @eczozgurozel]

Genel Merkezimizde açıklama yapıyorum. https://t.co/d7ysDBPKkZ

[The Economist @TheEconomist]

Ozgur Ozel has just been ousted as head of Turkey’s main opposition party. Earlier this week, in a guest essay, he warned of the challenging conditions hampering a democratic breakthrough in his country https://t.co/NHGb0HH6Ly

[Reuters @Reuters]

Thousands gather after Turkish court ousts opposition leader https://t.co/ktlOh6i2ic

[Reuters @Reuters]

A Turkish court effectively ousted the main opposition leader, Ozgur Ozel, annulling the 2023 party congress that elected him chairman. The case was seen as a test of Turkey's shaky balance between democracy and autocracy https://t.co/n133BhHWi0

[Financial Times @FT]

Turkish court removes leader of opposition https://t.co/ean8QhX8Dn

[Selin Girit @selingirit]

@MirgunCabas Başınız sağolsun Mirgüncüm, tüm ailene sabırlar dilerim

[Hümeyra Pamuk @humeyra_pamuk]

NEW: NATO is considering ending its recent practice of holding annual ​summits, six sources tell me & @andrew_r_gray and @liliebayer, a move that could avoid a potentially tense encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump in his final ‌year in office 🧵