Erdogan says Turkey 'will not hesitate to fight' but advocates for peace with Israel

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently made a strong statement to Al Jazeera, asserting that while Turkey advocates for peace with Israel, it will not hesitate to fight if attacked. In his remarks, Erdoğan emphasized that the current dialogue is focused on peace rather than war, yet he explicitly warned that any aggression against Turkey would trigger a military response. This dual message reflects a complex geopolitical stance where Ankara seeks stability but remains prepared to defend its national interests and pride, especially given the historical context of bilateral relations between the two nations since 1949, during which no formal hostilities have occurred. The discussion also highlighted a significant shift in regional alliances with the introduction of a new defense pact involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, known as the Mecca agreement. Under this framework, the three countries pledged to defend one another against any form of attack, signaling a broader realignment in the Middle East that President Trump praised as a step toward meaningful self-defense for the region. However, experts note skepticism regarding the immediate security benefits of this pact, particularly after recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia where Turkey and Pakistan did not intervene militarily. Despite these initial limitations, there are reports of Turkish military transport planes delivering ammunition and personnel to Saudi Arabia, suggesting a deepening operational cooperation that could evolve into the establishment of new military bases in strategic locations like Tabuk. Critics argue that Erdoğan's rhetoric about potential war with Israel is poisoning the social discourse between the two countries and creating a dangerous collision course that benefits no one but Iran. Analysts point out that while Turkey's stance is understandable given national pride and domestic political pressures, openly discussing the possibility of war undermines decades of diplomatic stability and could lead to a deterioration in relations that neither side can afford. From Israel's perspective, this rhetoric contributes to a sense of being encircled by a growing coalition of Sunni Muslim nations in Syria and beyond, raising serious concerns about national security as regional tensions continue to escalate under the influence of realpolitik. Ultimately, the situation presents a delicate balance between diplomatic overtures and military preparedness, with Turkey attempting to position itself as a key player in a reorganized Middle East while managing its complex relationship with Israel. The expansion of this new defense initiative, potentially including Egypt, suggests a trend toward forming a bloc that could further isolate Israel if it continues to pursue policies perceived as hostile by its neighbors. As the region navigates these shifting dynamics, the world watches closely to see whether diplomatic efforts can prevent conflict or if the rhetoric will eventually give way to the very confrontation Erdoğan warned against, making the coming months critical for maintaining peace in an increasingly volatile environment.

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Turkish president Raship tape Erdogan spared no words against Israel in his latest interview with El Jeazer. When asked about a possible war with the Jewish state, Erdogan said, "We're not talking about war. We're talking about peace. But if someone is going to attack Turkey for war and not peace, Turkey will not hesitate to fight." Neither Israel or Turkey has shown any signs that they want to fight a war. But if that changes, Turkey also has some new backup. the Mecca agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. And touched on this new defense pact and said whichever country is targeted, if an attack occurs against any of these three countries, the three countries will be able to defend one another against any kind of attack. President Trump also had some fresh praise for the Mecca agreement. Writing on Truth Social, it shows how the Middle East is coming together and how countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way. To discuss more, I'm joined in studio now by Dr. Hi Ethan Kohhen Roch, a Turkey expert at the Moshe Dian Center at Tel Aviv University. Hi, thanks for being with me for news studio. >> Listen, when it comes to these recent statements from Erdogan to Al Jazzer, are there any signs that Turkey does want a possible war with Israel or is this just Erdogan's own message to his own base? >> Okay, when I'm analyzing this latest statement, I see two different layers. The first layer is he made a very uh you know responsible statement that Turkey is looking towards the peace and Turkey does not want to speak the language of war. I think for Erdogan this is super responsible. Okay. So this is this must be praised. However the second layer uh of his statement of course is definitely understandable for a Turkish president given uh the Turkish national pride. You know, we of course uh you also mentioned that this is very much um related uh with his base and this was the LJZA channel. H this is completely understandable but but my point is here that he did not rule out you know of such a such a war. You could say, you know, since 1949, Israel and Turkey, they do enjoy a bilateral recognition. Both countries never uh declared any hostilities against each other. I mean, he could also add these important sentences, but he chose not to do it. My concern here is uh this message of talking about a possible war between Israel and Turkey, you know, is sickening me. >> This is unfortunately poisoning uh the uh the social discourse of two countries. People during the 1990s could never imagine such a scenario would ever take place. But today with these kind of questions and with these kind of uh you know talks in the TVs and the statements uh unfortunately uh the deterioration of the Turkish uh Israeli relationship is going to a a place which in my opinion two sides would never profit from that. I mean it's a collision course that the real politic is dictating both to Jerusalem and both to Ankara to refrain from taking such an action. and it would only you know make the Iranians happy. >> But let's say something does happen. What would this new defense pact actually change? We saw Saudi Arabia [clears throat] was attacked by the Houthis hours after it was signed. Neither Pakistan or Turkey did anything. So what would this relationship actually entail? >> Well, first of all, let me highlight that Turkey is a NATO member since 1952. So I'm very skeptical whether this Mecca agreement would contribute to Turkeykey's uh you know immediate security. I think it would create a huge burden for Turkey. As you mentioned the Houthis tested the uh ability of this agreement whether it has some sanction power or not. But uh after um days after the Houthi attack against Saudi Arabia, we began to see uh the latest uh Turkish transport uh h airplanes. They began to carry uh some uh military, you know, ammunition and I assume also their experts and military personnel uh to Saudi Arabia. There are some unconfirmed reports that Turkey will integrate new military bases not only in the vicinity of the Yemenite uh region but also they would do that also in north west of Saudi Arabia in the city of Tabuk which is very close to Jordanian border. So long story short, when I'm looking at Turkish uh diplomacy uh since uh March uh 2025, I do see that they have such a strategy of encircling Israel with this Muslim Sunniim nations in Syria. They formed an organization called Neighbors of Syria >> and um also of course we should speak about this Mecca agreement that there is also high probability that Egypt may also take part in this initiative continue to expand. >> Yes. And when we are looking at this huge Middle Eastern picture at large >> we will see that from Israeli perspective Israel would be encircled. So that's a that's a very important challenge for the Israeli national security. >> There certainly things that we have to continue to look at when it comes to this >> growing tension between these two countries. Dr. Hayan Kohan Yunoch, thank you for being with us in the I24 News. Thank you for having me with the updates. Thank you.