According to a video from 07:38 posted on his official YouTube Channel on Wednesday July 29, 2026, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned against the sale of advanced American weaponry to Turkey, saying it would leave Israel unable to defend itself against a growing regional threat.
Bennett’s comments came after President Trump defended plans to deliver F-35 fighter jets to Turkish President Erdogan, despite what has been described as relentless campaigning by current Prime Minister Netanyahu to stop the sale.
Bennett placed the issue within a broader shift he sees taking place across the region, describing a decline in the Shiite radical terror network led by Iran and Hezbollah alongside a rise in Sunni radical Islamist influence, particularly from Turkey and Qatar.
He said this shift requires Israeli leadership to take a firm stance against arming countries it considers adversarial, regardless of their formal alliances with Washington.
In his words, Bennett said, “That’s why when we’re talking about Turkey and Qatar, Israeli prime minister has to stand strong and say, we cannot allow our enemies to be armed, because then we won’t be able to defend ourselves against this very advanced weaponry,” he said.
Bennett said he shares Netanyahu’s opposition to the F-35 sale, adding that despite years of pressure from Jerusalem, President Trump has continued to praise his relationship with Erdogan and has stated publicly that no one dictates to him what the United States can sell.
Bennett said this dynamic illustrates a real limit to Israeli influence in Washington on certain issues, even as the two countries remain closely aligned on the broader goal of countering Iran’s nuclear ambitions.