Jerusalem, Israel. Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett warned on Tuesday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is positioning Turkey as a major strategic threat to Israel, describing Ankara as “the new Iran.” He made the remarks at the Conference of major American Jewish organisations in Jerusalem.
Warning on Turkey and regional alliances
Bennett said Turkey under Erdogan is “a sophisticated and dangerous adversary who wants to encircle Israel,” adding that Israel “must not turn a blind eye again.”
He outlined what he described as a growing regional axis linking Turkey, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood, with Pakistan providing nuclear capabilities. Bennett said the alliance was working to inflame hostility towards Israel and exert influence beyond its immediate sphere, including on Saudi Arabia.
“Qatar and Turkey, operating from Syria and with Israeli consent in Gaza, are fuelling a new monstrous axis of the Muslim Brotherhood, similar to the Iranian one,” Bennett said, alleging that the network was actively undermining Israel’s security.
Bennett argued that Israel must confront multiple threats at the same time. “A new Turkish threat is emerging. We must act in different ways, but simultaneously, both against the threat from Tehran and against hostility from Ankara,” he said.
Criticism of Israel’s current leadership
Bennett also criticised Israel’s current leadership, accusing it of deepening internal divisions.
“The current leadership of Israel has divided us and is dividing us more than ever,” he said, arguing that it had failed to adequately protect the country.
Political intentions
Concluding his remarks, Bennett signalled his intention to return to frontline politics.
What do you think are the implications of Bennett’s warning for Israel’s approach to Turkey?