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 Minister Amichai 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.”
“May Allah, for the sake of His name… destroy and devastate Zionist Israel.”
This sentence was not uttered by a Hamas or Hezbollah leader, It was said in a public prayer on March 30, 2025, by the President of Turkey @RTErdogan.
Erdogan is a sworn enemy of Israel and the West,… https://t.co/cH5usZWj9Z
— עמיחי שיקלי – Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) October 20, 2025
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.”
He also accused Erdogan of attempting to erase the Jewish people’s historical claim to Jerusalem, adding, “Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel since the days of King David—1,500 years before the birth of Muhammad.”
See: “Jerusalem is Ours!” What’s Behind Turkey’s Astonishing Claim
Erdogan has long positioned himself as a global defender of political Islam, using anti-Israel rhetoric to bolster his popularity across the Muslim world. Turkey’s government continues to host Hamas operatives, fund radical causes, and expand its influence in Palestinian affairs—all while seeking international legitimacy as a “peacekeeping partner.”
But for Israel, Erdogan’s track record disqualifies him from playing any constructive role in Gaza.
Coalition lawmaker Ze’ev Elkin echoed those concerns Tuesday, telling Kan Reshet Bet that Turkey’s involvement would further empower Hamas. “We all hear Erdogan’s statements. The Emirates can perhaps be trusted a bit more—but not to disarm Hamas,” Elkin said.
Sources say Turkey’s role was a major point of discussion during Netanyahu’s closed-door meetings this week with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s senior Mideast envoys.
Trump, who views Erdogan as a key interlocutor and potential postwar stabilizer, has praised Turkey’s commitment to the plan. But in Jerusalem, that optimism is not shared.
Israeli officials see Turkey not as a neutral partner, but as a longtime ideological enabler of Hamas—providing political cover, financial support, and international legitimacy to a terrorist movement committed to Israel’s destruction.
Analysis: The inclusion of Turkey in Gaza’s future is not a diplomatic formality—it is a strategic fault line. Ankara’s hostility to Israel is not a relic of past disagreements; it is active, ideological, and ongoing. Any plan that treats Erdogan as a stabilizing force misunderstands both the man and the region.
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