Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday evening that there are still sane people in Israel, not all like Prime Minister Netanyahu, and that as elections approach, Netanyahu needs an enemy and is trying to find it in Turkey. The remarks, reported by a single source, follow earlier statements today in which Fidan said there was no reason for frontal confrontation.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan issued a new statement Friday evening, reported by the source focused on Arab world affairs, in which he accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of seeking a new enemy in Turkey as Israeli elections approach. Fidan said there are still 'sane people' in Israel, unlike Netanyahu, suggesting that Netanyahu needs a foreign adversary to rally support after the campaigns against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran.
Earlier on Friday, Fidan had made two separate statements: at 14:18 Jerusalem, he accused Netanyahu of trying to cast Turkey as a new enemy, and at 14:41, he said there was no reason for a frontal confrontation and praised 'good people with common sense' in Israel. The new remarks add a sharper edge, framing the personal political calculus behind Netanyahu's rhetoric.
The backdrop has been weeks of escalating verbal exchanges between Jerusalem and Ankara. Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Turkey is not an enemy state, but expressed concern that Turkish officials define Israel as such. On Tuesday, he told CNN that Turkey is not friendly. President Erdogan has issued threats against Israel and signaled Turkey as an alternative patron for Lebanon.
No official Israeli response to the latest Fidan statement has been reported yet. The statement remains a single-source report, and the exact venue or timing of the remarks is not independently confirmed.
2 developments
- DevelopingTurkish FM Fidan: Israel is seeking a new enemy; we have no problem with confrontation
- StrongTurkish FM Fidan: No reason for frontal confrontation with Israel, praises 'good people with common sense'
- DevelopingTurkish FM Fidan: Netanyahu's policies threaten international security, says even Trump understands
- DevelopingNetanyahu: Turkey is not an enemy state, but their definition of us bothers me
Source and signal
- Internal intake