The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has warned that a possible US delivery of F-35s to Turkey would “destroy” the balance of power in the Middle East, after US President, Donald Trump, announced upon his arrival in Ankara to attend the NATO summit in the Turkish capital that all sanctions against Turkey would be lifted, and assured Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that the Eurasian country would receive several of these fifth-generation fighter jets.
According to the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu referred yesterday to the possible sale of F-35s to Turkey during an interview with the US broadcaster CNN, shortly after Trump discussed the sale of these fighter aircraft with Erdoğan during a joint press conference in Ankara. The Israeli leader explained that he had conveyed his concerns directly to Trump regarding the potential impact of such a sale on the balance of power in the region, and maintained that, despite the good relationship between Trump and Erdoğan, Turkey is not a “friendly state” to the United States due to Ankara’s links with the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organisation.
Netanyahu also referred to Erdoğan’s support for groups such as Hamas in Gaza and accused the President of Türkiye of imprisoning political opponents and journalists. “He’s not exactly a model ally of the United States,” said Netanyahu, who also claimed that the Turkish president has issued threats against NATO allies and even against Israel: “Turkey, I think, has aggressive aspirations. They openly say that they want to restore the Ottoman Empire,” said Netanyahu, against whom there is an arrest warrant in Turkey for genocide due to the mass deaths of civilians in Gaza.
When asked about his growing differences with Trump, the Israeli Prime Minister emphasised that the US and Israel remain close allies, although he acknowledged that “even allies can have differences”. In this regard, he stressed that both leaders share the same stance on “major issues”, including offering Iran the opportunity to negotiate matters relating to its nuclear programme.
Greece, reluctant due to “open threat of war” with Turkey
Following these statements, the US Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, cancelled a meeting scheduled for today with Netanyahu, at which the two were due to discuss the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, according to an Israeli source speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity. Hegseth was also due to meet with the Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, during his trip to Israel.
The possible delivery of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey by the US has not only alarmed Netanyahu and Israel, but also Greece, according to reports in the Greek press. Although he has avoided commenting directly on the issue upon his arrival in Ankara to attend the NATO summit, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has called on the Alliance to be sensitive to an “open threat of war” with Türkiye, despite the fact that just a few days ago he himself ruled out a war between Greece and Turkey. “Sensitivities of all NATO allies should be taken into consideration against plans of Turkey to expand its territorial waters,” said Mitsotakis, referring to the main dispute between the two neighbouring countries in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
