Rhetoric against Turkey and Syria continues to be a constant theme in Israeli politics. It is being noticed in Turkey.
Turkish media is increasingly reporting on Israeli comments. It is important to examine how this rhetoric is now framing Ankara’s role in Syria and also how Turkey may interpret the comments.
Turkish media reported on July 30 that Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with the newly elected Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya.
This will be seen in Jerusalem in a negative light, in line with a sense that Ankara is a rising threat.
First, a little history.
Historic ties between Israel, Turkey
Turkey and Israel have historic ties that date back to the era before the state of Israel was created. Zionist leaders David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi studied law in Istanbul in 1913.
After the founding of Israel, Turkey became the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel. Israel and Turkey had good relations until the rise of the AKP party in the early 2000s.
Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan became increasingly critical of Israel, especially after the 2009 war in Gaza. This rhetoric was met with some attempts at reconciliation, most recently in 2021.
However, the Hamas attack and Gaza war have soured relations to a new low.
From Jerusalem’s point of view, Turkey is increasingly not just pushing hostile narratives; it is potentially a strategic or regional threat. This dovetails with increasing critique of Qatar by Israeli politicians.
Several years ago, Doha was seen as helpful with Hamas in Gaza. Cash from Doha was flowing via Israel to Gaza. After October 7, the perception of Turkey and Qatar has shifted in Jerusalem.
This results now in almost weekly statements against Turkey and also Qatar.
In addition, there are also weekly statements against Syria. Syria’s leadership is often called “jihadist,” and there are threats of war with Syria.
Israel is already involved in conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza, and fighting terrorism in the West Bank. It’s interesting to see voices in Jerusalem also pushing for war in Syria. Israel’s early leadership preferred war as a last resort.
Today, after more than 1,000 days of war, the rhetoric generally argues for more war on more fronts, with a sense that Israel is now the strongest military in the region and, with US support, can fight more enemies.
The White House, however, has appeared to push back against Israel’s role in Syria, particularly friction with local villagers near the Golan.
The Trump administration also wants to see peace in Gaza and Lebanon, not more war. The Trump administration also has warm ties with Turkey and Qatar, potentially creating a challenge for policymakers in Jerusalem who predict hostility with these countries.
The rhetoric is beginning to be noticed more in the region. ANHA news, also known as Hawar News Agency, is a Kurdish outlet.
Israel to establish Syrian bases if Turkey does
It reported on July 28 that “Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Israel would be compelled to establish military bases inside Syria if Turkey proceeds with plans to set up its own military bases on Syrian territory.”
It added that “Cohen stressed that Tel Aviv [Jerusalem] would not stand idly by in the face of any Turkish military deployment in neighboring Syria, asserting that Israel would respond in kind to safeguard its national security and protect its strategic interests in the region.”
On July 23, Daily Sabah, a pro-government Turkish outlet, noted that “Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said on Wednesday that Israel should prepare for the possibility of a future confrontation with Türkiye, arguing that direct military contact between the two countries was ‘not an impossible scenario.’”
It went on to report that “speaking at a conference in west Jerusalem, Chikli said a direct encounter between the Israeli and Turkish militaries could occur at sea, adding that such a scenario could happen ‘even tomorrow morning.’”
Middle East Eye reported in June that “Israel ‘will be at war with Syria sooner or later’, says Likud minister.” The pro-government Turkish outlet Yeni Safak noted in March that “Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett sparked controversy Wednesday with provocative statements targeting Turkey during a live Bloomberg interview.
Bennett described Turkey as a ‘new strategic threat’ to Israel and hinted at possible action against Ankara, saying ‘the choice is up to Turkey and warning, ‘after Iran, we won’t stay idle.’”
On July 29, Daily Sabah also reported that “Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday renewed his hostile rhetoric against Turkey, issuing a series of pointed remarks on regional security, Syria and Iran.”
It went on to note that “during an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, Katz said Israel does not seek a military confrontation with Türkiye but argued that his country would defend itself against any threat.
Referring to the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, he said: ‘We are not the collapsing Christian empire. Jerusalem is not Constantinople, and we know how to defend ourselves.’”
Then the report says that “the Israeli minister also argued that Ankara is seeking greater influence in Syria and said Israel would not allow Syria to become a platform that could threaten its security.” A separate comment from Bennett at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in February also was reported at Media Line. He spoke about how “Turkey is the new Iran,” the report said.
Iran considered a threat to Israel, entire region
Currently, Iran is still considered a threat to Israel and the region. It continues to have ballistic missiles, and despite five months of conflict since February, Iran continues its attacks. It is now clear how Israel expects to take on Turkey, a member of NATO, if Iran has not been vanquished.
If Turkey is viewed as the “new Iran,” the fact is that Turkey has a powerful army, air force and navy.
Most of the examples of recent Israeli statements about Turkey can be found on the social media news site Clash Report, which describes itself as a “global platform that focuses on conflict zones around the world, delivering detailed analyses and up-to-date news.”
Clash Report has been critiqued for being pro-Ankara. On July 29, it highlighted on X comments by Bennett “on US selling F-35 jets to Turkey.” The report claimed Bennett said, “we cannot allow our enemies to be armed, because then we won’t be able to defend ourselves against this very advanced weaponry.”
Ragip Soylu, the Turkey Bureau Chief of Middle East Eye, noted the Bennett comments in an X post, noting the Bennett called Turkey an “enemy.”
Clash Report also highlighted Eli Cohen’s comments in a July 28 post. “Israeli Minister of Energy Eli Cohen: We will not accept Türkiye’s entrenchment in Syria.” It added that Cohen noted, “if Turkey establishes bases in Syria, we will also act to establish bases within Syria itself.”
Israel’s discussions with Trump about Turkey are also becoming more pronounced. According to reports in Israeli media on July 29, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed US President Donald Trump a map to compare Israel’s presence in Syria.
Trump has often highlighted his positive relationship with Erdogan and also noted that Erdogan doesn’t get along with Israel’s prime minister. Trump appears to want to highlight that he can balance these two friends in the region. Trump has also been supportive of Syria’s leader.
Recent tensions with Syria have involved Israeli civilians trying to sneak into Syria. In addition, there have been clashes with local villagers who oppose the IDF presence.
Israel’s demands that Syria not have forces near the border have turned the border area with the Golan, beyond the 1974 ceasefire lines, into a kind of no-man’s land of low-level chaos and power vacuum. By demanding no Syrian military presence, it is hard for Syria to create stability.
This creates a possible self-fulfilling prophecy for Israel. Israeli officials see Syria as a threat. This leads to a power vacuum near the border, and a threat could emerge as civilians don’t want to live under IDF raids and IDF rule.
This is a major shift from the era of the Assad regime when Israel provided support for Syrian civilians near the border. Now the civilians only see hostility from the IDF rather than the support of the previous era.
Turkey’s leadership has taken note of Israeli comments. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan sought to tone down some rhetoric on Israel in mid-July. Ankara is worried about a clash in Syria, it seems.
On July 30, Turkey’s pro-government Anadolu noted that “Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Wednesday with Khalil al-Hayya, the newly elected head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, and a Hamas delegation, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources.”
This won’t help ties with Jerusalem.
