Israel Calls for Turkey's Expulsion from NATO

After Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened that his country would intervene in Israel just as it has in past conflicts in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, Israel's Foreign Minister called for Turkey's expulsion from the NATO military alliance. The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated on Monday: "In light of Erdoğan's threats regarding an invasion of Israel and his dangerous rhetoric, Israel Katz, the Foreign Minister [of Israel], has instructed all diplomats... to urgently speak with NATO members and demand condemnation of Turkey and its expulsion from this regional alliance." Erdoğan, a staunch critic of Israel's war against the extremist group Hamas in Gaza, said in a speech on Sunday: "We must be strong enough that Israel cannot carry out these ridiculous actions against Palestine. Just as we entered Nagorno-Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we can do the same regarding them." The Turkish President did not clarify what type of intervention he meant. The verbal attacks between Turkish and Israeli leaders have intensified. Israel Katz subsequently compared the Turkish President to Saddam Hussein, the then-leader of Iraq, whose regime was overthrown 21 years ago in a coalition attack led by the United States, and who was later captured, tried, and executed. Katz wrote on X: "Erdoğan is following the path of Saddam Hussein and threatening to attack Israel; he should only remember what happened there [in Iraq] and how [Saddam's fate] ended." The Israeli Foreign Minister stated: "Turkey, which hosts Hamas, responsible for terrorist attacks against Israel, alongside Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis of Yemen, has become a member of Iran's axis of evil." Relations between Israel and Turkey, which were once close regional allies, have deteriorated for over a decade. Their bilateral trade, which reached billions of dollars annually, has also faced diplomatic storms, with Turkey recently announcing it would halt bilateral trade with Israel until the end of the war and the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza.