Trump-Erdogan Relationship Acts as 'Constraining Factor' on Turkey-Israel Tensions, Expert Says
A senior Turkish affairs expert told The Jerusalem Post that President Trump's relationship with Turkish President Erdogan is moderating Turkey's increasingly hostile stance toward Israel, despite inflammatory recent comments from Turkey's Interior Minister about governing Jerusalem. The assessment comes amid escalating Turkish rhetoric since October 7, 2023, and Turkey's growing influence in Palestinian affairs. The expert notes that Turkey's NATO membership and Trump relationship create competing pressures that limit how far Ankara can go in supporting Palestinian causes.
Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci recently stated aspirations to govern Jerusalem and suggested Ottoman lands should return to Turkish sovereignty, prompting widespread Israeli condemnation. Dr. Gallia Lindenstrauss, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, told The Jerusalem Post that while such rhetoric is concerning, Trump's relationship with Erdogan serves as a moderating influence on Turkey-Israel relations. She contextualized Ciftci's comments within a broader pattern of inflammatory Turkish statements since the October 7 attacks and Turkey's expanding role as a Palestinian backer, including reported support for Hamas. Lindenstrauss emphasized that Turkey faces competing pressures: its NATO membership, upcoming NATO summit hosting duties, and relationship with Trump on one side, versus its ambitions to lead the Muslim world and support Palestinian causes on the other. She also noted Turkey is leveraging its US relationship to pursue other regional objectives, including pressuring the US on Kurdish militia involvement in Iraq.
What's missing
The article does not include direct response or comment from Turkish government officials or Erdogan himself regarding the expert's assessment of Trump's constraining influence, nor does it provide Trump's own stated views on his relationship with Erdogan or Turkey's regional role.
What different sources said
- The Jerusalem PostRight
Trump's relationship with Erdogan a ‘constraining factor for the Turks,’ expert tells ‘Post’
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