During the NATO summit, US President Trump met with Turkish President Erdogan and hinted at lifting sanctions on Turkey, with a final decision looming on resuming the potential sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets. This gesture marks a possible major shift in US-Turkey defense ties, which have been frozen due to Turkey’s purchase of Russian-made weapons.
Just hours later, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu poured cold water on the idea during a CNN interview, openly warning the US against it. He argued that selling America’s most advanced fighter jets to Turkey “doesn’t make Turkey a friendly nation to the US.” Netanyahu revealed he had repeatedly urged Trump not to go through with it, saying that putting F-35s in Turkey’s hands would “disrupt the balance of power in the Middle East.”
Israel-Turkey relations have been on a downward spiral for years. Erdogan’s government is one of the harshest critics of Israel in the Middle East, especially regarding Israeli military actions in Gaza. Erdogan has personally described Israel as a threat to Turkey and labeled Zionism as “an ideology that implements genocide, occupation, and expansion.”
This rocky relationship has made Netanyahu especially wary of any US-Turkey rapprochement. In the interview, Netanyahu stated: “This (Turkey) is not a force for peace and stability. When you grant them this power (F-35 fighter jets), you’ll see the aggression that follows.”
According to reports from Israeli media, Netanyahu also described the Ankara regime as “a government eroded by the Muslim Brotherhood, which harbors hatred for the United States.”
“I think everyone understands that despite President Trump’s personal friendship with Erdogan, it doesn’t make Turkey a friendly nation to America,” he said. “He (Erdogan) is hardly an ideal ally for the US—he threatens to destroy my country, the only Jewish state.”
Netanyahu also downplayed any differences with Trump. He noted that while they “occasionally disagree,” they are “on the same page” on major issues.
“He’s the US president, and everything he does is for America’s interests. I’m Israel’s prime minister, and everything I do is for Israel’s interests. Most of the time, our priorities align,” he explained.
In 2017, Turkey struck a deal with Russia to purchase the S-400 air defense system. The US had pushed Turkey to drop the Russian system in favor of the American-made Patriot system. When Turkey refused, the US kicked it out of the F-35 program and imposed sanctions on Turkish defense officials. Relations between the two countries quickly soured. Turkey has consistently called the decision “unjust and illegal” and has repeatedly sought to rejoin the program.
Interestingly, Trump himself was reluctant to enforce the ban at the time, blaming the Obama administration for the mess. He expressed sympathy for Erdogan, claiming that Turkey was “forced into this dilemma” because the previous US government refused to sell it Patriot missile systems, pushing it into Russia’s arms.
Despite Trump’s strong personal support for the move, sources say the path to resuming the F-35 sale still faces legal and congressional hurdles that haven’t been fully cleared.
