Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, has called for NATO to expel Turkey following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent threats of potential military intervention in Israel. Erdogan suggested that Turkey could enter Israel as it had previously entered Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, escalating tensions between the two nations.
“In light of Turkish President Erdogan’s threats to invade Israel and his dangerous rhetoric, Foreign Minister Israel Katz instructed diplomats to urgently engage with all NATO members, calling for the condemnation of Turkey and demanding its expulsion from the regional alliance,” the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Monday.
Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel’s actions against Hamas in Gaza, declared in a speech on Sunday, “We must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these ridiculous things to Palestine. Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we might do similar to them.” He did not specify the nature of the intervention he was contemplating.
Katz responded by likening Erdogan to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. “Erdogan is following in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and threatening to attack Israel. He should remember what happened there and how it ended,” Katz said, referencing Hussein’s eventual capture and execution after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
Katz further criticized Turkey for its support of Hamas. “Turkey, which hosts the Hamas headquarters responsible for terrorist attacks against Israel, has become a member of the Iranian axis of evil, alongside Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen,” he stated.
The relationship between Israel and Turkey, once close regional allies, has been deteriorating for over a decade. Despite numerous diplomatic conflicts, bilateral trade between the two countries had continued, reaching billions of dollars annually. However, Turkey announced this month that it would halt all bilateral trade with Israel until the war ends and aid can flow unhindered into Gaza.