According to a report by The Times Of Israel on July 11, 2026, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey and Israel are not destined to become enemies despite rising political tensions and increasingly sharp rhetoric between officials in Ankara and Jerusalem.
Speaking during an interview with the National, Fidan emphasized that there was no justification for a direct confrontation between Turkey and Israel.
“I think there is no reason to have an open conflict,” Fidan says in an interview with the National.
The Turkish foreign minister also addressed comments made by Israeli politicians, claiming that the rhetoric directed at Turkey has become more aggressive as Israel moves closer to its upcoming elections. He suggested that political considerations were influencing the language being used by some Israeli leaders.
“I’ve been telling, whenever I hear this rhetoric (against Turkey coming from the Israeli politicians, especially as they get closer to the upcoming elections, from both coalition and opposition figures — not all the opposition figures. Thank God, there are still very sane and good people with wisdom and strategic mind in Israel.”
Fidan distinguished between different political figures in Israel, saying he believes not everyone shares the same confrontational approach. He praised those he described as acting with wisdom while criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others for allegedly seeking new political rivals.
“Not all of them are like Netanyahu and some people, but Netanyahu and some people, as they get closer to the elections, they need an enemy. They were at war with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, and now they need another enemy,” Fidan adds, saying the enemy has become Turkey for many Israeli politicians.
His remarks come as diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel remain strained, with repeated exchanges of criticism over regional security and political developments in the Middle East….See More