For centuries, the Ottoman Empire was nothing short of one of the most aggressive colonial machines in human history. Wherever it could reach, it conquered. Wherever it couldn’t, it meddled. The Balkans, the Middle East, North Africa — every region that came within reach of the Ottoman sword suffered under its domination, violence, and relentless exploitation.
The Ottomans never arrived as “liberators.” They came for taxes, for slaves, for women, and for land. The empire was built not on equality, but on subjugation. Christians and Jews were forced to pay the jizya — a tax just to exist as non-Muslims. Slavic boys were taken from their homes through the brutal devshirme system and converted into Janissaries — militarized and Islamized against their will. For generations, Balkan peasants lived under the crushing weight of Ottoman “justice.” The so-called “right of the first night” may have taken different forms, but the violence and humiliation were all too real.
And now, in the 21st century, the descendants of this empire — modern Turkey’s elites and segments of its public — feel entitled to moralize. They call Israel an “occupier.” They speak of Palestinian rights, international justice, and historical memory.
Isn’t that the definition of hypocrisy?
Let’s be clear: no one claims Israel is perfect. Like any nation, it has made mistakes. But Israel is not an empire. It is a small state born from the ashes of the Holocaust, surrounded by hostile regimes, fighting daily for its right to exist. Unlike the Ottomans, it does not impose religion, collect tribute from non-believers, or conduct ethnic or cultural cleansing on an imperial scale.
If Turkey wants to talk about justice, perhaps it should first confront its own history. As long as Ankara refuses to recognize the Armenian Genocide, continues to repress its Kurdish population, and criminalizes dissent, it is in no position to lecture anyone about occupation.
History has a long memory. And when the descendants of Ottoman pashas and sultans — who spent centuries trampling across other peoples’ lands — suddenly proclaim themselves defenders of justice, it doesn’t look like righteous anger. It looks like theater. And the audience is no longer buying it. People remember.