(JNS) Recent proclamations by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan underscore how dramatically Turkey has changed over the past two decades—from a strategic partner of Israel into a growing regional challenge. “Zionist ideology is based on genocide, occupation and expansion,” the Turkish president recently declared, stressing the need to “fight Zionism.”
No Israeli should dismiss such rhetoric. Turkey’s increasingly anti-Israel trajectory has become even more pronounced amid the current regional war. This trend is reflected not only in the position of the ruling party, but also in Turkish public opinion: In a recent Pew survey, 97% of Turkish respondents expressed unfavorable views of Israel.
This poses a serious challenge. Turkey is an important Middle Eastern power with a large population, modern military, advanced defense industries, and broad regional ambitions.
Ankara’s hostility is not confined to rhetoric. For some time, it has been one of Hamas’s most important patrons, in part because of Erdoğan’s ideological affinity with...
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