"Had Pakistan not been mediating between the US and Iran, we would have shown Israel its place," he said, adding that "Netanyahu is blinded by blood and hatred."
Erdogan's comments prompted a sharp response from Israeli officials. Katz said, “[Erdogan] who did not respond to missile fire from Iran into Turkish territory and was revealed to be a paper tiger, is now retreating into the realms of antisemitism and declaring show trials in [Turkiye] against Israel’s political and military leadership.”
"What an absurdity. A man of the Muslim Brotherhood, who slaughtered the Kurds, accuses Israel—defending itself against his Hamas partners—of genocide," Katz continued. "Israel will continue to defend itself with strength and determination, and he would do well to sit quietly and remain silent."
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was also among the 35 Israelis targeted by the Turkish indictment, stated, “Erdogan, do you understand English? F*ck you.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday criticized Erdogan after Turkish prosecutors sought to have him jailed, saying that “Israel under my leadership will continue to fight Iran’s terror regime and its proxies, unlike Erdogan who accommodates them and massacred his own Kurdish citizens."
Netanyahu's remarks prompted Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry to respond yesterday, saying that “Everyone knows he has no moral values or legitimacy to preach to anyone,” also calling Netanyahu “the Hitler of our time” in a separate statement.
Erdogan continued his attacks, nonetheless. 'Isn't this a form of apartheid?' - Erdogan criticizes new Israel death penalty for Palestinians. The Head of Communications at the Turkish Presidency, Burhanettin Duran, added:
◾️ Netanyahu has committed genocide in Gaza, is launching attacks on seven countries in the region, and—out of desperation—has even dared to target President Erdoğan.
◾️ Netanyahu is a criminal against whom arrest warrants have been issued and who no longer has any friends. He is pushing the region toward chaos and conflict as a strategy for political survival.
◾️ Turkey, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will continue its struggle against oppressors for a world characterized by greater justice, peace, and security.
This is happening at the same time when Pakistan is also increasingly pulled into the politics of the Middle East, feeding into the new Israeli narrative about a threat from a "Sunni axis".
Summary of events:
Recent diplomatic tensions between Turkey and Israel have intensified following provocative statements from an Israeli security expert, prompting a sharp rebuttal from Turkish officials. According to a report in the Jerusalem Post, Yoni Ben Menachem, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, has accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of pursuing a covert strategic agenda. Ben Menachem alleges that Erdoğan's public rhetoric masks a deliberate effort to construct a new Sunni-led axis in the Middle East, designed to fill the potential power vacuum should Iran's regional influence diminish or its regime collapse. In his assessment, Turkey is emerging as "an increasing strategic threat to Israel," going so far as to label Ankara "the new Iran."
These claims have not gone unchallenged. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan swiftly dismissed the allegations, framing them as part of a calculated Israeli narrative. Fidan accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of actively seeking to designate Turkey as Israel's "new enemy" now that Iran occupies the primary adversarial role in Israeli strategic discourse. "Israel cannot live without an enemy after Iran," Fidan remarked, suggesting that Netanyahu's government relies on external threats to sustain its political positioning. He further cautioned that the deepening security cooperation among Greece, Israel, and Cyprus—often viewed by Ankara as a containment strategy—does not promote regional confidence but rather exacerbates mistrust and raises the risk of confrontation.
This exchange underscores a broader realignment of alliances and anxieties in the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider Middle East. As regional powers recalibrate their strategies amid uncertainty over Iran's future trajectory, Turkey's ambitious foreign policy under Erdoğan continues to provoke concern among some Israeli security circles. Conversely, Turkey perceives Israeli efforts to strengthen ties with its regional rivals as provocative and destabilizing. While neither side has indicated an imminent escalation toward direct conflict, the war of words reflects a fragile diplomatic environment in which perception, narrative, and strategic posturing play increasingly decisive roles. The situation warrants close observation, as miscalculations or hardened rhetoric could transform verbal sparring into tangible geopolitical friction.
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