Türkiye messages from the Trump–Netanyahu press conference

At the press conference following Netanyahu’s fifth visit to the United States in 2025 and his meeting with Trump, critical messages regarding Türkiye stood out. As President Trump repeated the praise for President Erdoğan that we have heard before, he was in fact also reiterating a “be reasonable” message to Israel. Stating how strong a leader Erdoğan is and how much he respects him, Trump said that Türkiye is the dominant winning actor in Syria. Saying that he was open to a solution on the F-35 issue, Trump added that this would not pose a threat to Israel, thereby also sending a message to those lobbying against Türkiye’s purchase of F-35s. Facing Trump, who also praised Syrian leader Shara in strong terms, Netanyahu limited himself to saying that they did not want to have border security problems with that country rather than voicing maximalist demands. Repeating his threat that he could strike Iran again if necessary, Trump also signaled that he would not act as aggressively as Netanyahu would like on this issue. Although the press conference was full of mutual compliments between the two leaders, the messages Trump delivered on Türkiye, Syria, Iran, and regional issues were not of the kind Netanyahu would have preferred.

ISRAEL’S ANTI-TÜRKİYE RHETORIC

The end of the Assad regime just before Trump came to power stood out as a success of Türkiye’s Syria policy. While the most urgent issues were for the country to quickly achieve political unity and have international sanctions lifted, Türkiye made intensive efforts both to encourage the Arab world to step up and to address U.S. and European concerns regarding Damascus. By contrast, Israel’s moves to push further into Syria in the name of securing the Golan Heights, its rhetoric about supporting the YPG and the Druze, and its attacks on Damascus showed that Tel Aviv would play a destabilizing role in Syria. Having dealt a critical blow to its regional enemy Iran with the help of America’s new president Trump, Israel began to see Türkiye as its new rival in Syria and the region.

As anti-Türkiye rhetoric rising from Israel reached a peak, it became clear that Trump did not give credence to this discourse and believed that stability in Syria could only be achieved through Türkiye. Trump’s words to Netanyahu to “be reasonable” toward Türkiye should be understood in this context. Just before this week’s Washington visit, Netanyahu held a trilateral summit with Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration and, this time without naming Türkiye directly, claimed that Türkiye was “dreaming of empire” in the region. Given his awareness of Trump’s stance toward Erdoğan, Netanyahu’s decision to criticize Türkiye without naming it was certainly no coincidence. Trump prefers to listen to Erdoğan and Shara in Syria and to restrain Netanyahu’s destabilizing actions. Ultimately, Trump wants to withdraw American troops from the country, but he believes he cannot do so without achieving stability in Syria.

“TÜRKİYE WILL NOT USE F-35s AGAINST ISRAEL”

In response to a question at the press conference about selling F-35s to Türkiye, Trump gave positive signals by saying, “We are considering this very seriously.” Knowing that this message would not please Netanyahu, Trump was in fact responding to the rhetoric of Israel’s lobbying efforts, particularly in Congress, against Türkiye’s acquisition of F-35s. Under U.S. law, Israel’s “qualitative military edge” must be preserved in arms sales to Middle Eastern countries. Of course, this law has nothing to do with Türkiye, which is a NATO country, but the Israel lobby has recently been putting forward arguments that the sale of F-35s to Türkiye should be evaluated within this framework. Scenarios in the Israeli media about confronting Türkiye in Syria and even possible clashes indicate that Israel sees Türkiye as a new regional rival and believes its military power should be constrained.

Israel has long enjoyed a de facto veto over the sale of advanced weapons systems to Middle Eastern countries thanks to its influence over Congress. Aware of this leverage, Trump knows that he will have to contend with the Israel lobby on the issues of selling F-35s and reintegrating Türkiye into the F-35 program. By saying that Türkiye would not use F-35s against Israel, he is trying to show that this argument of the lobby has no basis. It is, of course, very difficult for Netanyahu to oppose Trump—whom he calls Israel’s greatest friend—on his desire to give F-35s to Türkiye. Although Israel’s influence over Congress continues, its image in American politics has been deeply damaged, and Trump does not hesitate to criticize Israel openly when he deems it necessary. Just as Trump has not refrained from pressuring Netanyahu on a ceasefire in Gaza and stability in Syria, we can expect him to adopt a similar stance on the F-35 issue if conditions allow.

Trump’s clear words at the press conference reflect his belief in Türkiye’s critical role in shaping the fate of the region. Repeatedly emphasizing how good his relations with President Erdoğan are, Trump, by contrast, appears to grant Netanyahu reluctant credit due to Israel’s pragmatism in politics and its influence over Congress. Trump, who was reported to have been disturbed by Netanyahu congratulating Biden after the 2020 elections, has previously pointed out the unequal nature of relations between the two countries by referring to the aid Israel receives from the United States. He has also expressed his dissatisfaction with Netanyahu over pressure on him regarding a ceasefire in Gaza. It is well known that his relationship with the Israeli leader—who pushed him toward a war with Iran he did not want—is not as good as the press conference might have suggested. Trump’s positive remarks about both Erdoğan and Shara also amount to an indirect message to Netanyahu. All of this indicates that the period up to the November 2026 midterm elections represents a window of opportunity for Turkish-American relations. If Trump were to lose either chamber of Congress in the November elections, it would become more difficult for him to take steps on issues such as F-35s concerning Türkiye.