US President Donald Trump may believe that selling F-35 stealth warplanes to Turkey will help the country forge closer ties with the US at the expense of Russia. The reality, though, is that by providing such sophisticated fighter jets to a country that supports Hamas terrorists — and whose president recently said that “Israel will have no choice but to kneel in front of Turkey” — Trump is merely stoking the flames of a future war aimed at destroying Israel.

[Trump] is under the impression that Turkey played a key role in helping to persuade Hamas to agree to Washington’s 20-point peace plan for ending the war in Gaza, and possibly his hope that Turkey might join his Abraham Accords.

Ambassador [Tom] Barrack, however, has been called out for “misrepresent[ing] President Erdogan’s hostile and war-threatening statements against Israel.”

The prospect of Turkey, together with other Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, being equipped with the F-35 stealth aircraft has prompted grave concerns in Israel that the jets — which have also been deployed to great effect by the Israel Air Force — could be used against the Jewish state in a future conflict once Trump’s term in office has ended.

The Israelis are particularly concerned about Turkey receiving the warplanes so long as Erdogan remains in power.

Israeli security officials are warning that Turkey is quietly working on a plan to encircle Israel, extending its influence in countries such as Syria, in anticipation of a future conflict.

Acquiring F-35 stealth fighters would significantly increase its war-fighting capabilities in the event of Ankara becoming involved in direct hostilities with Israel after Trump leaves office.

There are also reports that Turkey and Qatar, which is also one of Hamas’s staunchest supporters, are now attempting to thwart attempts to force the terrorist organisation to surrender its weapons — one of the key requirements stipulated by Trump’s peace plan.

The United Arab Emirates, which has strong ties with the Trump administration, has expressed “concern” over Turkey’s and Qatar’s disruptive policies in Gaza in support of Hamas. The UAE recently decided not to participate in the proposed International Stabilization Force for the Gaza Strip.

In such circumstances, it would be extreme folly for the Trump administration to press ahead with its plan to sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey, a country that actively supports Hamas terrorists. To do so would place Israel in the very real danger of becoming involved in yet another war with a country that is supposed to be a U.S. ally.

US President Donald Trump may believe that selling F-35 stealth warplanes to Turkey will help the country forge closer ties with the US at the expense of Russia. The reality, though, is that by providing such sophisticated fighter jets to a country that supports Hamas terrorists — and whose president recently said that “Israel will have no choice but to kneel in front of Turkey” — Trump is merely stoking the flames of a future war aimed at destroying Israel.

Trump’s problematic relationship with Ankara dates back to his first term in the White House, when he removed Turkey from participation in the multinational F-35 programme after it purchased Russia’s supposed state-of-the-art S-400 air-defence system, which was designed with the express purpose of shooting down F-35 warplanes.

In recent months, though, Trump appears to have revised his previous decision, not least because he is under the impression that Turkey played a key role in helping to persuade Hamas to agree to Washington’s 20-point peace plan for ending the war in Gaza, and possibly his hope that Turkey might join his Abraham Accords.

Trump was gushing in his praise for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s role in securing the ceasefire. “President Erdogan was fantastic. He really helped a lot, because he’s very respected,” Trump declared after Hamas finally agreed to sign up to the ceasefire.

Since then, Erdogan has worked hard to capitalise on his good standing in Washington, seeking to promote himself as a close ally of the US who can use his strong ties with Hamas to the Trump administration’s benefit.

Apart from being a staunch supporter of Hamas’s terrorist leadership, Erdogan is also on the record as stating that a future war between Turkey and Israel is a distinct possibility.

In early December, Turkey’s leadership hosted a conference, “Pledge to Jerusalem,” attended by “a number of Arab and Islamic organizations.” According to Quds Press:

“The conference will… further issue a scholarly fatwa establishing the religious duty to defend Jerusalem, resist normalization, and oppose alignment [between Israel and the Arab and Islamic countries].”

Only a few weeks earlier, Erdogan, his senior officials and state-controlled media were talking about attacking Israel. On September 29, 2025, Erdogan stated:

“It is time for Israel to turn to dust… A region that could fit in the palm of your hand could turn to dust in three days… Chase them out of your cities. The time has come for hundreds of thousands of people to accumulate on the borders of Israel and enter the cities in waves.”

On October 6, 2025, he said :

“No one can save it [Israel] now…. It must be disciplined with war… War and power should make Israel kneel… However ‘extreme’ it looks, a Turkey-Israel war will absolutely happen… Israel will have no choice but to kneel in front of Turkey. This is the only way for it to live. Otherwise, in the second quarter of the 21^st century, there will be no Israel.”

A similar conference, hosted by Turkey in August, recommended:

“A total rejection of any call to disarm the resistance and a firm emphasis on the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to wage resistance of every kind — including armed resistance – against the Zionist occupation and [a call to] mobilize the Islamic nation to wage jihad for the sake of Allah, in all its forms.”

Its closing statement noted:

“This statement is the beginning of the end of the Zionist occupation project…”

Erdogan’s blatant power-play, nevertheless, has clearly made a strong impression on Trump, who is now reported to be giving serious consideration to relaxing the ban he imposed during his first term in the White House on Ankara’s participation in the F-35 programme.

US officials have given strong indications that Trump is prepared to sell F-35s to Turkey in return for Ankara getting rid of its Russian-made S-400 air-defence missile systems.

Turkey’s willingness to ditch the S-400 will have increased following the dismal performance of Russian air-defence systems during the recent military conflict between Israel and Iran, when Israeli warplanes easily destroyed Iran’s Russian-made air-defence systems, enabling them to attack Iranian targets at will.

Tom Barrack, US Ambassador to Turkey and a close aide to Trump, stated earlier this month that he believed Turkey was closer to removing the Russian S-400 system that has created tensions with NATO allies and has become a hurdle to Turkey’s quest to obtain the American fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, according to Bloomberg.

In response to a question about whether Turkey is going to dump the S-400, asked at a conference in Abu Dhabi on December 5, Barrack said, “My belief is that those issues will be resolved in the next upcoming four to six months.”

Barrack, however, has been called out for “misrepresent[ing] President Erdogan’s hostile and war-threatening statements against Israel.”

The prospect of Turkey, together with other Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, being equipped with the F-35 stealth aircraft has prompted grave concerns in Israel that the jets — which have also been deployed to great effect by the Israel Air Force — could be used against the Jewish state in a future conflict once Trump’s term in office has ended.

The Israelis are particularly concerned about Turkey receiving the warplanes so long as Erdogan remains in power.

Israeli security officials are warning that Turkey is quietly working on a plan to encircle Israel, extending its influence in countries such as Syria, in anticipation of a future conflict.

Acquiring F-35 stealth fighters would significantly increase its war-fighting capabilities in the event of Ankara becoming involved in direct hostilities with Israel after Trump leaves office.

At the height of the Gaza war, Erdogan, who led condemnations of Israel’s military operations against Hamas, raised the possibility of Turkish forces invading Israel, while more recently he has warned of “serious consequences” if Israel continues its attacks against Hamas terrorists.

Erdogan’s strong backing for Hamas is the main reason that Turkey is not being seriously considered as a participant in Trump’s plan to create an International Stabilization Force in Gaza when the next phase of the ceasefire takes hold.

There are also reports that Turkey and Qatar, which is also one of Hamas’s staunchest supporters, are now attempting to thwart attempts to force the terrorist organisation to surrender its weapons — one of the key requirements stipulated by Trump’s peace plan.

Hamas continues to refuse to disarm in accordance with the agreement, insisting that any decisions about the terrorist group’s weapons should be resolved through “internal Palestinian dialogue.”

At the same time, Israeli security officials and a senior Arab intelligence official told the New York Times last week that Hamas has moved quickly to reassert control in Gaza since Israeli forces withdrew from parts of the territory in October under the ceasefire agreement and has succeeded in rebuilding much of its operational strength.

Making sure Hamas fulfils its obligation to disarm under the terms of Trump’s peace deal is likely to be a key priority when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with the US president in Florida at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, in early December, the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency exposed what they describe as a secret Hamas money-exchange network operating in central Turkey “under Iran’s direction,” according to documents and statements released last week.

According to the intelligence released by the IDF and ISA, exiled Gazans based in Turkey have used the country’s financial infrastructure to move large sums of money for Hamas, with transfers totalling hundreds of millions of dollars.

Israeli documents revealed that:

“As the [December] conference was underway, Israeli authorities revealed documents that show that Hamas is operating a system of Gazan moneychangers who live in Turkey and exploit the country’s financial infrastructure to secretly finance terrorism. The network, according to the Israeli authorities, works in full cooperation with the Iranian regime and has transferred millions of dollars directly to Hamas and its senior leaders.”

The United Arab Emirates, which has strong ties with the Trump administration, has expressed “concern” over Turkey’s and Qatar’s disruptive policies in Gaza in support of Hamas. The UAE recently decided not to participate in the proposed International Stabilization Force for the Gaza Strip.

In general, the UAE views Qatar and Turkey as “Hamas enablers.” A source familiar with the UAE’s stance told The Jerusalem Post:

“These states will make it possible for the terrorist organization to continue existing…. There are interested parties affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood who are currently embedding themselves in key positions in the Gaza reconstruction plan.”

In such circumstances, it would be extreme folly for the Trump administration to press ahead with its plan to sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey, a country that actively supports Hamas terrorists. To do so would place Israel in the very real danger of becoming involved in yet another war with a country that is supposed to be a U.S. ally.

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