Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz urged NATO on Monday to expel Turkey after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened military intervention against Israel over its actions in Gaza. Israel’s genocidal attack on Gaza has claimed the lives of at least 39,324 Palestinians since October last year.
On Sunday, Erdoğan, criticising Israel’s actions in Gaza, stated, “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.”
In response, Katz directed Israeli diplomats to engage urgently with all NATO members, calling for the condemnation of Turkey and its expulsion from the alliance. “Erdoğan is following in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and threatening to attack Israel. He should remember what happened there and how it ended,” Katz stated.
Erdoğan’s rhetoric is part of his populist strategy to paint himself as a defender of the Palestinian people. His hypocisy has been highlighted repeatedly. For exmple, Turkey has continued its exports of Azerbaijani oil despite Erdoğan’s stated support for a trade boycott. However, the Turkish state recently claimed that this bilateral trade would end by the end of the month.
The Israeli foreign minister reacted against ‘Turkey’s support for Hamas’, which Israel considers a terrorist organisation. “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,” Katz added.
Another reaction to Erdoğan’s remarks on Sunday came from far-right Dutch leader Geert Wilders. Wilders said Turkey should be expelled from NATO after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened Israel with war. “Islamofascist Erdoğan threatens to invade Israel. This guy is totally nuts. Turkey should be kicked out of NATO,” Wilders said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Erdoğan’s remarksfollows Turkey’s controversial past military interventions in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), where Erdoğan indirectly acknowledged Turkey’s role in the ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan in 2023.
This statement prompted a sharp response from Katz, who likened Erdoğan to Iraq’s deposed leader Saddam Hussein. In retaliation, the Turkish Foreign Ministry compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler, stating Netanyahu would meet a similar end.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan criticised Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for not accepting Turkey’s invitation for him to visit the country, amid the backdrop of the Beijing Declaration, where fourteen Palestinian factions signed a landmark unity agreement.
Experts suggest Erdoğan’s statements may be a strategic manoeuvre to bolster his domestic standing. Gönül Tol, Director of the Middle East Institute’s Turkish programme, explains: “As autocrats’ bases become more homogeneous, the dose of such irrational statements increases.” Despite his harsh rhetoric against Israel, Erdoğan has not severed economic ties, reflecting a balancing act between capitalising on pro-Palestinian sentiments for domestic support while avoiding international backlash.
