Ioannis E. Kotoulas

(IPT) As the U.S. and Israel are attempting to eradicate the nuclear threat of Iran’s Islamist regime with Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion, usual suspect Turkey -a nominal NATO ally of the US- undermines their efforts. Turkey has been a close ally of the Iranian Islamist regime and Hamas’s most vocal supporter on an international level. Ever since Hamas launched a horrific attack on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023 invading Israeli territory itself, murdering more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and abducting more than 230 hostages in a surprise attack, Turkey has been opposing Israel. Now Turkey resorts to renewed threats against Israel by weaponizing its judicial mechanisms.

Turkish prosecutors target Israel

On Apr. 10, the regime-affiliated Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office filed indictments against 35 top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir. seeking a total of more than 4,500 years in prison. The indictments relate to Israel’s Oct. 1, 2025, interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla that was trying to breach the Israeli blockade of Islamist Hamas in Gaza. The indictment seeks aggravated life sentences as well as prison terms ranging from 1,102 years and 9 months to 4,596 years for each suspect on charges, including “crimes against humanity,” “genocide,” “deprivation of liberty,” “torture,” “damage to property,” “qualified looting,” and “obstructing, hijacking or detaining transportation vehicles.” The supposed investigation is said to unfold within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which Turkey itself has not signed!

Israeli officials push back

Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu did not hold back in his response, accusing Erdogan of massacring Kurds in his own country. “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,” he wrote on X. The persecution of the Kurdish population, both inside Turkey and in neighboring countries -Syria and Iraq- by Turkish authorities, has been going on for decades. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry repeated well-known tropes of anti-Israeli propaganda calling the Israeli premier “the Hitler of our time.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, a vocal critic of Turkey’s aggression, also lashed out at Erdogan on X, calling him a “paper tiger.” “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 Turkey against Israel’s political and military leadership,” he said. “What an absurdity. A man of the Muslim Brotherhood, who massacred the Kurds, accuses Israel — defending itself against his Hamas allies — of genocide,” Katz added. “Israel will continue to defend itself with strength and determination — and he would do well to remain silent.”

Turkish Aggression against Israel and its regional allies (Greece, Cyprus)

Israel has established a trilateral cooperation on security, defense and energy with Greece and Cyprus, two European states, that function as Israel’s necessary strategic depth in its greater Islamic neighborhood. In an interview with state-affiliated Anadolu news agency on Apr. 13, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan criticized Greece and Cyprus over their cooperation with Israel, warning it could heighten regional tensions. The Turkish official also claimed that Israel “may seek to characterize Turkey as a new adversary after Iran, as it cannot survive without an enemy.” Greece’s Foreign Ministry replied promptly that it ‘owes no explanations to Turkey over its long-standing alliance with Israel.

The Israel–Greece–Cyprus triangle and Eastern Mediterranean strategy

Turkish aggressive rhetorics against Israel, Greece, and Cyprus have recurred time after time. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to use military force against all three states. In this context, Israel’s growing cooperation with Greece and Cyprus, two EU member-states, is essential in lifting Israel out of its Arab surroundings and engage it in a greater Mediterranean and pro-Western security environment. “Turkey’s latest wave of anti-Israeli rhetoric following the Israel–Greece–Cyprus cooperation mechanisms reflect a familiar pattern rather than a sudden shift. Ankara views the deepening cooperation among these three states as a direct challenge to its regional influence in the Eastern Mediterranean. Israel’s growing strategic relationship with Greece and Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean gives Israel an alternative regional anchor that is not dependent on Arab consensus, and it opens pathways for security cooperation that can survive diplomatic storms in the Middle East. For Turkey in particular, the Israel–Greece–Cyprus triangle is a constant reminder that Israel has options, and that attempts to corner Israel politically can push it deeper into partnerships that Turkey cannot easily penetrate”, U.S. national security lawyer, geopolitical analyst, and fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Irina Tsukerman, told the IPT.

Turkey and Hamas: A deep bond

The relations of Turkey and Hamas run deep for decades and have been thoroughly documented by IPT in various analyses (here and here). Erdogan’s Turkey has an ambiguous relationship with extremist Islamist ideology, having supported the Islamic State and other terrorist Islamist organizations in Syria and Libya. The Turkish government supports the notorious Muslim Brotherhood, designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization. Erdogan himself has repeatedly met with the leadership of Hamas in Turkey. According to Israel’s Shin Bet, Hamas has established a command post in Turkey which it uses to recruit operatives and oversee operations in the Middle East and specifically in the West Bank against Israel. In September 2023, just weeks before the October 7 assault, Israeli customs authorities seized 16 tons of explosive material sent from Turkey to Gaza, hidden behind packages of construction supplies.

Erdogan’s escalating campaign against Israel

In many instances after the October 7 attack, Turkish President Erdoğan has lauded Hamas as “a liberation group, ‘mujahideen’ waging a battle to protect its lands and people.” Just weeks after the horrific attack, Erdoğan cancelled a planned visit to Israel. Turkey suspended its trade with Israel, closed its airspace to Israeli planes and issued arrest warrants for 37 Israeli officials, including Netanyahu. Erdogan has treated Hamas as a sort of bulwark for Turkish interests, claiming in various instances that if the Islamist organization were to be eradicated, then ‘Israel would come for Turkey next’. Meanwhile, state-affiliated Turkish media continue to portray Israel as ‘number one threat’ for Turkey, while they always describe Hamas as a ‘Palestinian resistance movement’. Even after the October 7 attacks the Turkish leadership called for an Islamic alliance against Israel, effectively a call to jihad.

IPT Senior Fellow Ioannis E. Kotoulas (Ph.D. in History, Ph.D. in Geopolitics) is Adjunct Lecturer in Geopolitics at the University of Athens, Greece.