Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the President of Turkey and leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Under his leadership, Turkey has transitioned from a strategic Israeli ally to a vocal regional adversary that provides political cover for Hamas and leverages close ties with the U.S. administration to challenge Israel's qualitative military edge.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been the dominant force in Turkish politics since 2003, serving as Prime Minister and later as President. His tenure represents a fundamental shift in Turkish foreign policy, moving away from the secular, Western-oriented tradition toward a neo-Ottoman and Islamist-influenced regional doctrine. This shift has profoundly strained Turkey's relationship with the State of Israel. While Turkey was the first Muslim-majority nation to recognize Israel, Erdogan has systematically dismantled this alliance, positioning himself as a primary champion of the Palestinian cause and providing logistical and political support to Hamas, which he describes as a group of "liberators."
In the current regional conflict, Erdogan has escalated his rhetoric to unprecedented levels, labeling Zionism an "expansionist ideology" and claiming the struggle against it is a matter of Turkish national survival. Despite this hostility, Erdogan maintains a uniquely close rapport with U.S. President Donald Trump. He has successfully leveraged this relationship to seek the restoration of Turkey's access to the F-35 stealth fighter program, from which it was expelled in 2019 following the purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems. Recent reports indicate Erdogan is exploring the deactivation or transfer of these S-400 batteries to a third party to clear the legal path for the F-35 deal.
Jerusalem views these developments with extreme concern. Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly warned that placing F-35s in Turkish hands would destroy the regional balance of power and undermine Israel's Qualitative Military Edge (QME). While President Trump has offered conflicting signals—at times praising Erdogan as a "great leader" and at others warning that the F-35 sale could cause regional imbalance—Erdogan remains a volatile and central factor in Israel's security calculus, balancing his role as a NATO member with deep ties to adversarial Islamist actors.