The point of control of the cybersecurity society becomes a political target in Türkiye in the middle of the Israeli-Hamas conflict

Abdullah Bozkurt / Stockholm

The multinational cybersecurity company based in Israel Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. has become a focal point of controversy in Türkiye, caught in the cross shots between the Party of Justice and Development of Islamist leaders (AKP) and the opposition in the middle of the increase in anti-Israeli feeling. The company has been described as a threat of national security, reflecting both the rhetoric of the AKPS hard line and the main request of the Party of the Republican People's Party (CHP) of the Center of the opposition on the left with commercial ties with companies linked to Israel.

While Turkish President Recep, Tayyip Erdogan, has intensified his anti-Israeli speech until the complaint without proof that Israel constitutes a direct threat to Turkish sovereignty, the opposition has deepened the question, putting pressure on the government to reduce economic and technological partnerships with Israeli companies. This growing campaign, which often turns into anti -Semitic territory, targeted private companies operating in Türkiye, with a control point for the main criticism of criticism.

The control point, whose headquarters are in Tel Aviv and known for its fire and networks safety solutions, has become a flagship problem for the opposition, which accused the AKP of granting public contracts to the company despite its alleged ties to the Israeli government. The CHP legislator, Yksel Mansur, KLN, brought the question to the Turkish Parliament, questioning the risks associated with control points software in government institutions, in particular military entities.

KLN has increased the alleged ties with the Israeli army and the information of Gil Shwed, co-founder and executive president of Check Point Software Technologies. Gil Shwed worked in the Israeli military intelligence unit, in particular in unit 8200, where the first product of the company was developed. Check Point vice-president, Dorit Dor, [chief technology officer] also served for many years as an agent of cyber-espionage in Israeli defense forces [IDF]The legislator said.

KLN led a parliamentary investigation at the Turkish Defense Ministry, asking how long the military institutions had used control products and if the government had assessed potential security risks. In response, on November 27, 2024, the Turkish Defense Minister Yaar Gler said that the general staff and the associated military units had ceased to use control point solutions in June 2016. He also stressed that no product of Israeli origin was used in critical military infrastructure.

The letter from the Turkish Defense Minister Yaar Gler informing Parliament that the military had ceased to use control points at the head office and its attached military units:

Checkpoint_chp_defense_ministry_turkey

However, the CHP continued its meticulous exam, revealing that in December 2019, the Treasury and Finance Ministry in December 2019 had awarded a public tender for control software licenses to Trio Entegrasyon Biliim Teknolojileri Ticaret A, a local checkpoint. Eylem Ertu Erturul, another CHP legislator, criticized the continuous commitment of governments with Check Point, saying that many state institutions have listed the trio as a key supplier in their cybersecurity infrastructure.

When we examine this business [Trio]We see that many government institutions and ministries are among its references. If we examine how the company describes itself, he says: “We are the partner of the local solution of the Israeli company of” checkpoint “,” said ErTurul during the deliberations on a bill on cybersecurity to the parliamentary defense committee on January 15.

Check Point maintains two offices in Türkiye, one in Istanbul and the other in Ankara. It also has a local subsidiary under the name of verification of the name Yazlm Teknolojileri Pazarlama A, which was created in May 2002. According to the last declaration of the shop register, the board of directors is made up of Israeli nationals Maryam Steinltz, Josef Itzkovitz, Saar Joskovitch, Sharon Schusheim and US National Phililine Levine. All have listed their residences in Israel.

The registers of the Turkish DE CHECK Point company register in Istanbul show that its owners reside all in Israel:

check_point_trade_ recording

The controversy surrounding the control point has also obtained ground among the other political parties. On March 5, 2025, Sema Silkin N, legislative of the Islamist party of Gelecek (Future), condemned the collaboration of governments with Israeli society. How is it possible despite the fact that our president issued a warning of this podium even on October 1, saying: “The next target of Israel is Turkey” that the most critical data protection systems are entrusted to an Israeli company? she asked Parliament.

The anti-Israeli feeling has spread beyond the control point. Other foreign technology companies such as Microsoft, Oracle and SAP have also been labeled as security risks. The Islamist legislator Mesut Doan of the Saadet Party (Felicity), a party with close ties with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, accused these offices of helping Israel.

“The American company Oracle, which has declared its support for Israel, currently has the databases of most of our public ministries and institutions. … Another software company that supports Israel, SAP, despite its use before national software, has acquired all Kzlay infrastructure [Turkish Red Crescent] For billions of dollars, “Doan made a speech in a speech in Parliament on October 8, 2023.

“Finally, there is Check Point, a company based in Israel with close links with Oracle. Strangely, this company is responsible for the cybersecurity of our public institutions. Even the infrastructure of the database used by our parliament unfortunately belongs to Microsoft, another company that supports Israel, he added.

Despite the political tumult, the financial impact of the presence of control points in Türkiye is not clear. The company does not disclose income by country, but its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) division generated approximately $ 1.12 billion in 2024, against $ 1.05 billion in 2023. Total turnover of the company for 2024 was reported to 2.6 billion dollars, reflecting an increase of 6% in annual sliding.

Controversy is one of the wider anti-Israeli and anti-Wave waves sweeping away from Turkey after the start of the Hamas-Israel conflict. President Erdogan openly took part in Hamas, calling for his resistance fighters to militants defending not only the Palestinian territories but also the territorial integrity of the turkey. The Government of the AKP has taken other measures, breaking commercial ties with Israel, intensifying the pressure on the Jewish minority in Turkey and pursuing non -specified legal actions against the two nationals serving in the Israeli army.

While political parties have armed economic and technological ties with Israel, companies like Check Point are faced with an increasingly hostile environment in Türkiye. The implications extend beyond cybersecurity, signaling a deepening rift between Turkey and Israel as well as a broader convergence of anti-Israeli policies through the political spectrum. This change exacerbates concerns about the rise of anti -Semitism among the 85 million people with Muslim predominance.