If not for Erdogan, I wouldn't have gone to this summit
At the intersection of alliance and rivalry, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Donald Trump to use the NATO summit in Turkey as a moment of quiet pressure — urging Erdogan to soften his rhetoric against Israel and blocking Ankara's path back to the F-35 programme. The request reveals how deeply intertwined personal diplomacy, arms commerce, and regional power have become in the modern Middle East, where a single weapons sale can redraw the balance between old partners. Washington now stands at a crossroads familiar to empires throughout history: the uncomfortable arithmetic of choosing, even partially, between friends.
- Netanyahu moved urgently before Trump boarded Air Force One, knowing the NATO summit in Turkey would be the moment arms deals with Ankara could quietly advance or quietly die.
- The stakes are concrete — Turkey's potential return to the F-35 programme and a $700 million fighter engine deal for its indigenous KAAN jet threaten what Israel considers its non-negotiable edge: air superiority over the region.
- Netanyahu went public on Fox News, framing Turkey's government as ideologically hostile and its rearmament as a danger not just to Israel but to American interests — raising the diplomatic temperature well beyond a private phone call.
- Trump signalled warmth toward Erdogan even as he reportedly listened to Israeli concerns, leaving officials uncertain whether any message of restraint would actually be delivered in Ankara.
- Washington is now caught between two indispensable regional partners, and whatever emerges from the summit will signal which relationship it is willing to strain — and how much.
Benjamin Netanyahu called Donald Trump last week with a pointed request: when you meet Erdogan at the NATO summit in Turkey, press him to tone down his hostility toward Israel — and block Ankara's bid to reenter the F-35 fighter jet programme. The Israeli prime minister's concern was strategic and urgent. Two major defence proposals were on the table in Turkey: a fighter engine sale worth over $700 million for Ankara's homegrown KAAN programme, and the possibility of Turkey rejoining the F-35 after being expelled in 2019 for purchasing Russia's S-400 air defence system. Trump, who had already signalled personal enthusiasm for deepening ties with Erdogan, was heading to the summit in a mood of openness.
Netanyahu made his case publicly as well as privately. In a Fox News interview, he argued that arming Turkey with advanced American jets would destabilise the regional balance of power that depends on Israeli air superiority. He went further, describing Erdogan's government as ideologically extreme and characterising it as a burden on the international community — language that left little diplomatic ambiguity about how Jerusalem views Ankara.
According to reporting from Axios, Trump had heard Netanyahu out, and one American official suggested the president might gently relay the concern to Erdogan — though with little certainty he would follow through. Neither the White House nor Netanyahu's office confirmed the account. The episode laid bare a deeper fracture: Israel and Turkey have grown steadily further apart over Gaza and Iran, and Washington must now navigate the uncomfortable geometry of sustaining both relationships while making arms decisions that will inevitably tilt toward one side. Trump's conversation with Erdogan would be the first real test of whether personal rapport can hold that tension together.
Benjamin Netanyahu picked up the phone last week with a specific ask for Donald Trump: when you sit down with Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit in Turkey, tell him to dial back the rhetoric against Israel. And while you're at it, block the sale of advanced American fighter jets to Ankara. The Israeli prime minister's concern was direct and strategic—he worried that arming Turkey with cutting-edge military technology would shift the balance of power in the Middle East in ways that threatened Israeli security.
Trump was heading to Turkey for the NATO leaders' gathering, and the timing of Netanyahu's intervention was deliberate. Defense cooperation between Washington and Ankara was set to dominate the talks, with two major proposals on the table: a fighter jet engine sale worth more than $700 million for Turkey's homegrown KAAN fighter program, and the possibility of Turkey rejoining the F-35 program altogether. Before boarding Air Force One, Trump had already signaled his enthusiasm for deepening ties with the Turkish president. "If not for the fact that it was being held in Turkey by President Erdogan, I don't think I would've gone to it," he told reporters, suggesting that his personal relationship with the Turkish leader was the primary draw.
Turkey's exclusion from the F-35 program dated back to 2019, when Washington removed Ankara after it purchased Russia's S-400 air defense system. The American argument was straightforward: the Russian system posed a security risk to the stealth fighter's classified technology. Now, more than half a decade later, the Turkish government was pushing to get back in. Vice President JD Vance had recently indicated the administration was reviewing the legal pathways that might allow Turkey's return, suggesting Trump was genuinely considering it.
Netanyahu's opposition was both public and pointed. In a Fox News interview, he laid out his reasoning with surgical precision: giving Turkey advanced fighter jets would upset the regional power balance that rested on Israeli air superiority and American military posture in the Middle East. He went further, characterizing Erdogan's government as "infected by the Muslim Brotherhood," an extremist movement he said chanted "Death to America." The Israeli prime minister referenced recent comments from Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as evidence of the regime's hostility, describing the Turkish leadership as "a burden that humanity can no longer bear."
According to reporting from Axios citing Israeli and US officials, Trump had listened to Netanyahu's concerns. One American official suggested the president might relay a softened version of the message to Erdogan—something along the lines of "can you just go a little easy on this." But the official's tone suggested uncertainty about whether Trump would actually follow through. Neither the White House nor Netanyahu's office commented on the report.
The tension reflected a deeper fracture between Israel and Turkey over Gaza and Iran, two conflicts that had driven the two countries further apart. Washington now faced a delicate diplomatic puzzle: how to maintain strong relationships with both Israel and Turkey, two strategically important regional allies, while making decisions about arms sales that would inevitably favor one side over the other. Trump's upcoming conversation with Erdogan would test whether personal rapport could bridge that gap, or whether the competing interests of two key partners would force an uncomfortable choice.
Notable Quotes
Netanyahu argued that supplying Turkey with advanced fighter jets would alter the regional balance of power and undermine Israeli air superiority— Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister
Trump suggested his decision to attend the NATO summit was largely influenced by his relationship with Erdogan— Donald Trump, US President
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Netanyahu care so much about Turkey's fighter jets? Turkey is a NATO member, not an adversary.
Because air superiority in the Middle East is the foundation of Israeli security. If Turkey gets F-35s or advanced engines for its own fighter program, the regional balance shifts. It's not about NATO—it's about what Turkey might do with that capability in a region where Israel and Turkey are increasingly at odds over Gaza and Iran.
But Trump seems genuinely interested in improving ties with Erdogan. Why would he listen to Netanyahu?
Trump is drawn to personal relationships, and he's made that clear about Erdogan. But Netanyahu is also a close ally, and he's making a strategic argument, not just a complaint. The question is whether Trump sees this as a choice between the two, or whether he thinks he can satisfy both.
What's the actual leverage here? Can Netanyahu really stop Trump from selling to Turkey?
Not directly. But Netanyahu can make the political cost visible—he can argue publicly that it destabilizes the region, that it undermines Israeli security. And he's doing that. What he's really doing is making sure Trump understands the consequences before he decides.
Is there any chance Turkey actually gets back into the F-35 program?
The legal pathway exists. Vance said they're reviewing it. Trump has signaled openness. The real question is whether Netanyahu's intervention changes the calculation, or whether Trump decides the relationship with Erdogan is worth the risk of angering Israel.
What happens if Trump says yes to Turkey anyway?
Then Netanyahu has a public disagreement with Trump on a security issue that matters deeply to Israel. That's a significant rupture. But it also means Turkey gets the military capability it's been seeking, and the regional balance does shift in ways Israel finds threatening.