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‘Israel cannot live without an enemy’: Ankara, Tel Aviv escalate war of words
Erdogan warned the US against allowing the Iran ceasefire to be ‘sabotaged,’ prompting Israeli officials to accuse the Turkish president of ‘antisemitism’
13.04.2026
News Desk
Source:https://thecradle.co/articles-id/37108
Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on 13 April that Israel is incapable of living “without an enemy,” accusing Tel Aviv of attempting to portray Ankara as a threat.
“After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy,” the foreign minister said in an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA).
“We see that not only Netanyahu's administration but also some figures in the opposition – though not all – are seeking to declare Turkiye the new enemy,” Fidan added.
"This is a new development in Israel... turning into a state strategy," he went on to say.
Turkish-Israeli tensions escalated over the weekend when the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned US President Donald Trump about potential “sabotage” in the Iran ceasefire process – referring to Tel Aviv’s role.
“We hope that the ceasefire will be fully implemented on the ground without giving any opportunity for possible provocations and sabotage,” he said.
During a call with Trump, Erdogan urged that the ceasefire “not be compromised under any circumstances.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the Turkish president on Saturday saying, “Israel, under my leadership, will continue to fight Iran’s terror regime and its proxies, unlike Erdogan, who accommodates them, and massacred his own Kurdish citizens.”
On the same day, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called Erdogan a “paper tiger.”
He said Erdogan, “who did not respond to missile fire from Iran into Turkish territory and has proven to be a paper tiger, is now fleeing into the realm of antisemitism and calling for show trials in Turkiye against Israel’s political and military leadership.”
“What an absurdity. A man of the Muslim Brotherhood, who massacred the Kurds, accuses Israel – defending itself against his Hamas allies – of genocide. Israel will continue to defend itself with strength and determination – and he would do well to remain silent,” Katz added.
The following day, Erdogan condemned Israel’s massacres in Lebanon and called the Israeli government a “bloodstained genocide network.”
“We must be strong to prevent Israel from doing this to Palestine. Just as we entered Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we will do the same to them. There is nothing to prevent us from doing it. We just need to be strong so that we can take these steps,” the Turkish president told reporters, hinting at an invasion of Israel.
The social media feud escalated further when Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said, “Erdogan, do you understand English? Fuck you” in a post.
Publicly, Ankara has been very vocal about the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
In May 2024, the Turkish government announced a sweeping ban on all trade with Israel. Yet numerous reports as well as statistical data from the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM) revealed soon after that trade was continuing secretly via third parties.
While some recent analyses point to an escalating rivalry and potential confrontation between Ankara and Tel Aviv, for example, in Syria, others have suggested the opposite.
“Syria has increasingly become the stage for a fragmented geopolitical tug-of-war. Turkiye and Israel appear to be carving out spheres of influence rather than heading toward direct confrontation,” The Cradle’s Malik al-Khoury wrote last year.
Erdogan warned the US against allowing the Iran ceasefire to be ‘sabotaged,’ prompting Israeli officials to accuse the Turkish president of ‘antisemitism’
13.04.2026
News Desk
Source:https://thecradle.co/articles-
Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on 13 April that Israel is incapable of living “without an enemy,” accusing Tel Aviv of attempting to portray Ankara as a threat.
“After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy,” the foreign minister said in an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA).
“We see that not only Netanyahu's administration but also some figures in the opposition – though not all – are seeking to declare Turkiye the new enemy,” Fidan added.
"This is a new development in Israel... turning into a state strategy," he went on to say.
Turkish-
“We hope that the ceasefire will be fully implemented on the ground without giving any opportunity for possible provocations and sabotage,” he said.
During a call with Trump, Erdogan urged that the ceasefire “not be compromised under any circumstances.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the Turkish president on Saturday saying, “Israel, under my leadership, will continue to fight Iran’s terror regime and its proxies, unlike Erdogan, who accommodates them, and massacred his own Kurdish citizens.”
On the same day, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called Erdogan a “paper tiger.”
He said Erdogan, “who did not respond to missile fire from Iran into Turkish territory and has proven to be a paper tiger, is now fleeing into the realm of antisemitism and calling for show trials in Turkiye against Israel’s political and military leadership.”
“What an absurdity. A man of the Muslim Brotherhood, who massacred the Kurds, accuses Israel – defending itself against his Hamas allies – of genocide. Israel will continue to defend itself with strength and determination – and he would do well to remain silent,” Katz added.
The following day, Erdogan condemned Israel’s massacres in Lebanon and called the Israeli government a “bloodstained genocide network.”
“We must be strong to prevent Israel from doing this to Palestine. Just as we entered Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we will do the same to them. There is nothing to prevent us from doing it. We just need to be strong so that we can take these steps,” the Turkish president told reporters, hinting at an invasion of Israel.
The social media feud escalated further when Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said, “Erdogan, do you understand English? Fuck you” in a post.
Publicly, Ankara has been very vocal about the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
In May 2024, the Turkish government announced a sweeping ban on all trade with Israel. Yet numerous reports as well as statistical data from the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM) revealed soon after that trade was continuing secretly via third parties.
While some recent analyses point to an escalating rivalry and potential confrontation between Ankara and Tel Aviv, for example, in Syria, others have suggested the opposite.
“Syria has increasingly become the stage for a fragmented geopolitical tug-