Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has instructed diplomats around the world to lobby governments to take action against Turkey following its threats to invade the Jewish state, Channel 12 News reported Tuesday.
According to the report, Katz is seeking to pressure governments to condemn President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as well as remove Turkey from NATO, due to Ankara’s violation of the organization’s founding principles.
The NATO treaty states that members are “determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilization of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law.”
Israeli officials have expressed disappointment in Western countries for failing to call out Erdoğan’s pro-Hamas rhetoric and antisemitic statements in recent months, according to Channel 12.
The chances that Turkey will be removed from NATO are meager, however. Ankara provides NATO with military bases close to Russia and has the largest army in terms of personnel of any member of the alliance, the broadcaster noted. In addition, NATO has never expelled a member.
Erdoğan on Sunday, during a televised address, issued a thinly veiled threat to invade Israel’s sovereign territory, Reuters reported.
“Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we might do similarly to [Israel],” he said. “There is no reason why we cannot do this.”
Katz subsequently warned the Turkish president to proceed with caution.
“Erdoğan follows in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and threatens to attack Israel. Just let him remember what happened there and how it ended.”
Hours after Erdoğan’s address, the Turkish Foreign Ministry compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Nazi leader.
“Just as the end of the genocidal Hitler came, so will be the end of the genocidal Netanyahu,” Ankara stated. “Just as the genocidal Nazis were held accountable, so will those who try to destroy the Palestinians.”
In an attempt to improve diplomatic ties with Jerusalem after years of tumultuous fluctuations, Erdoğan agreed to meet with Netanyahu for the first time on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in late 2023.
However, the cordial relationship between the two leaders was short-lived. Just a few weeks later, on Oct. 7, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping roughly 250 others.
Turkey, which has hosted a Hamas headquarters since 2012, has given full backing to the Palestinian terrorist group since the Oct. 7 massacre.
In May, during a speech to members of his AK Party, Erdoğan described Netanyahu as a “vampire who feeds on blood,” while urging Muslims to act against the “threat” posed by the Jewish state.
Earlier this month, Erdoğan told Newsweek that Palestinian terrorists in Gaza are “simply defending their homes, streets and homeland,” adding, “What is between Israel and Gaza is not war. Israel has been treating Gaza as an open-air prison for years. They are usurping Palestinians of their homes, businesses and farmlands throughout Palestinian territory, using thieving terrorists they call settlers.”
