Israel Watches Closely as Trump Meets Erdogan at NATO Summit Ahead of Netanyahu Meeting

While Israel awaits a planned meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, attention in Jerusalem is sharply focused on the NATO summit in Ankara, where Trump is scheduled to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 7-8, 2026. Israeli officials are concerned that developments in U.S.-Turkey security cooperation and the messages emerging from the summit could impact Israel's strategic interests and future discussions between Netanyahu and Trump, particularly regarding Iran, Turkey, and the regional balance of power.

Currently, no concrete preparations have begun for Netanyahu's Washington visit, despite Trump's recent statement to Axios that a meeting with Netanyahu is expected within the week. However, Trump's schedule prioritizes the NATO summit first, leaving the exact timing of the Netanyahu meeting uncertain. Israeli officials prefer the meeting to occur after Trump's return from Turkey to better assess the evolving U.S.-Turkey relationship.

There is apprehension in Jerusalem about the possibility of Washington advancing significant arms deals with Ankara, including supplying aircraft engines and components for F-35 stealth fighters, and potentially reintegrating Turkey into F-35 programs. These concerns intensified after Trump praised Erdogan during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, calling Turkey a strong ally with a powerful military equipped with American systems and commending Erdogan for staying out of conflict with Iran despite strained ties with Israel.

The NATO summit is also expected to reaffirm collective defense commitments, pledge new support for Ukraine, and call on Iran to halt its nuclear ambitions and respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Against this backdrop, Israeli officials recognize that while a Netanyahu-Trump meeting in Washington holds political significance, the decisions and signals from Ankara may have a more direct effect on Israel's security environment and its relationship with the United States.

Summary: Israel is closely monitoring the NATO summit in Ankara where U.S. President Trump will meet Turkish President Erdogan, fearing that enhanced U.S.-Turkey ties could affect Israel's security interests ahead of a planned Netanyahu-Trump meeting in Washington.