Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, evaluating the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniye in Tehran, stated, “At this point, with the expansion of the incident, the aim might have been to push the Palestinian issue into the background, highlight Iran, and strengthen the Western alliance, which has begun to dissolve.”
Prof. Dr. Arıboğan said, “We can say that Israel aimed to damage the ‘victim Palestine’ image and frame the conflict as ‘Iran and Israel’ by packaging Iran, seen as ‘the devil’ in the Western world, and Hamas together.”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, Dean of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, evaluated the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniye in Tehran.
If the perpetrator is ‘MOSSAD’, it can be said: ‘Iran was hit, the Hamas leader died’
Political scientist Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan stated that the assassination of Haniye, Hamas' political bureau chief, in Tehran, brought with it many questions. She said, “For now, not much information is provided about the content and organization of the assassination. We may never fully learn it. However (if the perpetrator is ‘MOSSAD’), it can be said: ‘Iran was hit, the Hamas leader died.’ From this, it can be concluded that events will escalate further and the war will expand. Thus, we can say that Israel aimed to damage the ‘victim Palestine’ image and frame the conflict as ‘Iran and Israel’ by packaging Iran, seen as ‘the devil’ in the Western world, and Hamas together.”
Was the strengthening of the Western alliance aimed?
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan noted that, with the state of madness Israel entered after October 7th, it not only removed Hamas as a subject but also brought to the forefront the inhumane situation of the ‘oppressed Palestinians,’ which had been ignored by world public opinion for years. She continued, “What was destroyed in Palestine was, purely and simply, human civilization. At this point, with the expansion of the incident, the aim might have been to push the Palestinian issue into the background, highlight Iran, and strengthen the Western alliance, which has begun to dissolve. However, if we consider the consequences, different situations might be observed behind the Sunni and Arab leader of Hamas becoming a martyr of Shiite Iran and the ‘identification’ of the Palestinian cause with Iran's cause.”
“This cannot happen without support from within Iran”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan also pointed to the possible causes and consequences of the incident, stating, “This cannot happen without support from within Iran. Iran is a multi-centered state with internal rivalries. One group might have wanted to turn Hamas into an Iranian actor (especially by severing the connection with Turkey provided through Haniye). Indeed, Hamas is divided into at least two back-centers between Iran and Turkey; Turkey tries to emphasize the legitimate political side, not the military side. After this assassination, the center of gravity might shift to Iran, and after Hezbollah, Hamas could also come under Iran's absolute control.”
“The debate in Iran revolves around ‘who sold whom out’”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan noted that another group in Iran might have offered the Hamas political leader to Israel as a concession/sacrifice to soften the conflict and alleviate the bloodlust for revenge, and continued as follows:
“Indeed, the debate in Iran revolves around ‘who sold whom out.’ Let's remember that even after Qasem Soleimani’s assassination (by a US attack), despite strong statements, no retaliatory action was taken. Since the assassination could be carried out in the heart of Iran, it might have been intended to prove how vulnerable Iran is. Haniye was assassinated in Iran, not Qatar or Turkey. The permeability of Iran's borders and intelligence was revealed. A 'balancing act' might have been performed on groups within Iran intending to soften relations with Israel and the West, especially Pezeshkian. Netanyahu was in a very difficult position in Israeli public opinion. This assassination is a symbolic act of terror that could provide consolidation in governance and support among the public.”
