Turkey Suggests Netanyahu Seeks New External Foe Amid Political Woes
A Turkish publication suggests that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a new external enemy to distract from domestic political difficulties ahead of upcoming elections. The analysis, published by Salih Mustafa Kazdal in Turkey Today and highlighted by the Israeli outlet Maariv, posits that Netanyahu might employ his past strategy of focusing public attention on a foreign threat to rally support.
Kazdal draws parallels to Netanyahu's previous election campaigns, citing his emphasis on the Oslo Accords and Palestinian leadership in 1996, warnings about Arab voters in 2015, and criticism of potential alliances between centrist forces and Arab parties during the 2019 political crisis. The author argues that Turkey, with its significant regional influence, could now serve as this external adversary to mobilize Israel's right-wing electorate.
The article notes that Kazdal's analysis largely overlooks Erdogan's and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's harsh rhetoric towards Israel, as well as existing anti-Israeli sentiment within parts of Turkish society. The author links Netanyahu's potential search for a new threat to his diminished international standing following the Gaza war and escalation with Iran, compounded by domestic political and legal challenges.
Furthermore, Kazdal claims Netanyahu sought to persuade the United States to adopt a tougher stance against Iran's leadership, suggesting this contributed to political disagreements and weakened support for the Israeli premier in Washington. The Turkish observer concludes that Netanyahu needs a significant new opponent to shift public focus from internal issues and bolster the right-wing's position, ending with a rhetorical question to Israeli voters about whether they desire a new enemy or a new prime minister.
This report follows previous coverage by "Cursor" indicating that Erdogan had veiled new threats against Israel concerning potential interference with Turkish operations in Syria.
