As Trump elevates Ankara in Gaza’s postwar plans, Israeli leaders push back, calling Turkey a destabilizing force and a sworn enemy of the Jewish state. Tensions are mounting over the inclusion of Turkey in the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire plan, with Israeli leaders issuing blunt warnings against Ankara’s involvement in any postwar arrangement near its borders.
“Turkey will not be allowed to operate on Israel’s southern or northern front,” said Diaspora Affairs MinisterAmichai Chikli, who. In a scathing post on X, Chikli called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “sworn enemy of Israel and the West—a jihadist in a suit.”
His remarks came just days after US President Donald Trump publicly praised Turkey’s commitment to the newly proposed Middle East peace framework, which includes Ankara’s participation in a multinational stabilization force in Gaza. Under the plan, Turkey is expected to send search-and-rescue teams, assist in post-conflict operations, and help train local security forces tasked with maintaining the ceasefire. But Israeli officials view this as a red line.
According to Israel Hayom, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has firmly ruled out Turkish participation in the international force or in Gaza’s reconstruction. During a recent Knesset speech, Netanyahu reportedly referred to “new threats” on Israel’s horizon—widely interpreted as a reference to Turkey and Qatar, both of which Trump considers vital partners in the region.
Chikli reinforced the warning by citing a March 30 public prayer led by Erdogan in which the Turkish leader was heard calling on Allah to “destroy and devastate Zionist Israel.” “That sentence wasn’t from Hamas or Hezbollah. It was from the President of Turkey,” Chikli said. “This is not a slip of the tongue. These are the words of a dangerous enemy.” (Read More)
