As US President Donald Trump visits Ankara for the annual NATO summit, Israel is doing what it can to convince the White House not to provide Turkey with advanced military hardware that would drastically improve its air force.
During a Friday phone call, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly urged Trump not to sell Turkey fighter jet engines or allow Ankara back into the F-35 program.
In a Monday interview with Fox News, Netanyahu called Turkey “a regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood, an extreme movement that hates America and chants ‘Death to America.’”
“I don’t think they should be given F-35s or engines for their fighter jets,” he declared.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has also joined the rhetorical campaign, accusing his Turkish counterpart of incitement to genocide after he called Israel a “burden that humanity can no longer bear” and said it was a “problem” for the world.
Israeli leaders’ statements aren’t a backhanded attempt to undermine another regional power. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indeed positioned himself as a leading critic of Israel, and his government openly backs and hosts Hamas.
Published originally on July 7, 2026.
Read the full article at the Times of Israel.
