Foreign Minister of Israel Demands NATO Expulsion of Turkey Over Erdogan's Threats

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has called on NATO to expel Turkey following explicit threats made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to invade Israel. This appeal came in response to Erdogan’s escalating rhetoric and Turkey’s support for Hamas, which Katz highlighted as part of a dangerous alliance.

“In light of Turkish President Erdogan’s threats to invade Israel and his dangerous rhetoric, Foreign Minister Israel Katz instructed diplomats … to urgently engage with all NATO members, calling for the condemnation of Turkey and demanding its expulsion from the regional alliance,” the foreign ministry stated, according to Reuters.

Katz pointed out that Turkey hosts the Hamas headquarters responsible for terrorist attacks against Israel and has aligned itself with Iran-backed terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen. Erdogan’s threat to invade Israel was made during a meeting of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Rize, where he mentioned the possibility of Turkish military action similar to previous interventions in Karabakh and Libya.

“We must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these things to Palestine,” Erdogan said. “Just as we entered Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we might do the same to them.”

Erdogan's comments have led to a backlash from various U.S. lawmakers. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) noted Shukr's role in the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut. “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris spent the last few days trying to strong arm Israel into not conducting this very strike,” he wrote. “Shame on them.”

Representatives Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) and Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) thanked Israel, while Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) commended Israel for bringing terrorists to justice. Representative Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) added, “Israel has a right to defend her people. Ridiculous that it even needs to be said.”

Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Representatives Brian Mast (R-Fla.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) also posted about the strike that killed Shukr.

Katz’s response to Erdogan included a veiled threat on social media, referencing Saddam Hussein’s fate. “Erdogan follows in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and threatens to attack Israel. Just let him remember what happened there and how it ended,” Katz wrote.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also condemned Erdogan’s threats, calling him a “danger to the Middle East” and urging NATO members to condemn his support for Hamas.

Turkey has taken several hostile actions against Israel recently, including ceasing all exports and imports to and from Israel and announcing intentions to join a case accusing Israel of committing “state-led genocide” in Gaza. Erdogan has a history of making inflammatory remarks about Israel, referring to it as a “terror state” and comparing its actions to those of the Nazis.

The deteriorating diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel have heightened tensions, especially following Hamas’s atrocities on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people in southern Israel and the kidnapping of over 250 others.

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