U.S. President Donald Trump's statement during his visit to Türkiye for the NATO summit, suggesting he could lift sanctions and provide Türkiye with F-35s, provoked a strong reaction in Israel, Greece, the Greek Cypriot administration as well as Zionist lobbies and their collaborators in the United States. Examining who gave this reaction and with what arguments will help us understand the issue better.
Amit Segal, one of Israel's most famous journalists, wrote about the news, “If Trump is truly set on selling advanced fighters to Islamists, Israel and its supporters are his greatest obstacle.” Various members of Congress, who are more like salaried employees than supporters, also immediately sprang into action.
In Congress, led by Representative Dina Titus, House Democrats introduced legislation to block the sale of F-110 jet engines to Türkiye even before the meeting between Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took place. Following this, Titus, along with other members of Congress, Chris Pappas, Maggie Goodlander and Grace Meng, wrote a letter to congressional leaders requesting the introduction of a Joint Resolution of Disapproval of the sale of F-35s to Türkiye. They asserted that Türkiye has an “aggressive” posture towards Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, that its provision of material support to Azerbaijan in its military campaigns against Armenia, and that its anti-Israel position are reasons for their opposition.
These individuals are funded by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the most prominent Jewish lobbying group in the U.S. In fact, AIPAC is among the largest donors for Titus, Pappas, Goodlander and Meng.
Various members of Congress from both parties, including Mike Lawler, Nicole Malliotakis, Brad Sherman, Brad Schneider, George Latimer, John Cornyn and Gus Bilirakis, also reacted, primarily for Israel, and subsequently for Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration. All of these individuals are known for receiving substantial funding from AIPAC or similar pro-Israel organizations. Latimer, in particular, is seen as the second-highest-paid member of Congress between 2023 and 2024 by lobbyists.
Another AIPAC ally, former Vice President Mike Pence, also begged Trump not to give F-35s to Türkiye, arguing that it could undermine Israel's security.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself appeared on American television, pleading against the delivery of F-35s to Türkiye on the grounds of “destroying the power balance in the Middle East.” On July 9, he emphasized the importance of maintaining Israel's air superiority. He also stated that the Turks had occupied Cyprus and were threatening to conquer Jerusalem, adding: “They are not like us. We, Israel and the U.S., share the same values.”
Sagiv Asulin, a former senior Mossad official, said that Türkiye's growing military capabilities create a significant strategic threat to Israel. Asulin went on to say that even if the F-35s are not delivered, the U.S. discussion about strengthening Ankara's position should raise “serious concerns” in Israel. Former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy also tweeted his concern.
The Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), a prominent Jewish organization in America to which many high-ranking Israeli and U.S. military officials have contributed, also published an article by Jonah Brody arguing that Türkiye should “certainly” not be given F-35s. Their reasons were summarized as follows: Türkiye's anti-Israel stance, the Zionist goal of securing Israel's military superiority, the Zionist support for Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration in comparison to Türkiye, and the imprisonment of jailed former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu. The article emphatically stressed that no transfer should “erode” Israel's military advantage. JINSA had also published a report in 2025 stating that Türkiye should not be given F-35s unless it completely submits to – if we clearly put – Zionist demands on issues concerning Israel, Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration.
Leading broadcaster Mark Levin, recalling Trump's statement that he dissuaded Erdoğan from going to war against Israel, expressed concern that giving him F-35s would lead him to fight against them with their own weapons. He also attempts to discredit Erdoğan with many derogatory labels, stating, “Erdoğan is a grave threat to Greece” and “he threatened to destroy Israel.” For any objective person who follows the issues even slightly, it is obvious that the source of the problem is the threatening attitude of other countries and that Türkiye has only adopted a defensive stance.
It’s noteworthy that Levin's statements were shared by both the Greek Reporter and the Israeli Minister of Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli. In these statements, he says that providing F-35s to Türkiye “would fundamentally alter the balance of power in the Middle East.”
Chikli also retweeted Dr. Dan Diker's article, published by Mossad Commentary, which reflected their concern through Islamophobia: “Erdoğan is using NATO membership to legitimize an Islamist regional power project.”
Frank Gaffney, a recipient of an award from the Zionist Organization of America, held various positions in the federal government, and is also known for his Islamophobia, reacted by writing, “Under Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has been a leading force on behalf of the ‘Red-Green axis’ – the alliance between Communists and sharia-supremacists whose object is destroying Western civilization,” adding that Erdogan wants to revive the Ottoman Empire. Levin also retweeted his tweet.
Laura Loomer, who dedicates almost everything she writes to Islamophobia to distract attention from all the cruelty and atrocities of Israel and the Zionists, could not remain silent despite her closeness to Trump. She expressed her reaction by describing Erdoğan as a “sharia supremacist” and writing, “He wants a global Islamic caliphate.”
Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a fellow researcher at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD), a prominent foundation, in fact, for the defense of Zionism in the U.S., and known for its anti-Türkiye propaganda, argued that the U.S. should not provide Türkiye with even a bayonet, let alone F-35s.
Hussain continued writing about the issue for days. In a tweet on July 11, he mentioned that Erdoğan had gifted Lebanese Prime Minister Salam a memoir of Salam's grandfather, writing: “Erdoğan is dead serious about reviving the Ottoman Sultanate, which includes annihilating Israel and dismantling and annexing Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and beyond ... Maybe we help Erdoğan out by giving him the F-35s too?”
With a tweet posted clearly for Israel and retweeted by Abdul-Hussain, Representative Josh Gottheimer declared his opposition to the delivery of F-35s, arguing that, “Erdogan has sided with Hamas and Putin while undermining our closest allies in the region.”
Jonathan Schanzer, the executive director of the FDD, co-authored an article with Sinan Ciddi, who is alleged to be a member of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), calling for “Don’t Launder Erdogan’s Record at the NATO Summit.” The article repeats the same refrain voiced by Zionists and their lackeys: that Türkiye supports Hamas, occupies Cyprus, and collaborates with Russia.
Eitan Fischberger, a former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) staff sergeant and dual U.S. and Israeli citizen who is active on Twitter, explained his opposition to lifting the sanctions because Türkiye is a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and insulted Trump, saying “political schizophrenia.” Another FDD member, Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, shared this tweet, attempting to highlight the bond between Türkiye and the Brotherhood.
On July 11, the FDD published another article co-authored by Sinan Ciddi and Tyler Stapleton. Stating that, “The transfer of the F-35s to Turkey would remain a national security threat to Washington and NATO,” the article attempted to instill fear that Türkiye could use these against Greece and leak information to Russia and China.
On July 8, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, had a working dinner together with the Ambassador of Greece, the Greek Cypriot charge d'affaires, military attaches, and Jewish and Christian leaders, “to discuss the evolving security landscape and reinforce regional stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.” The AIPAC also shared this meeting by writing, “Three American allies working together to help secure the Eastern Mediterranean.” The Embassy of Greece in Washington also tweeted about the meeting with the message “stronger together.”
Thanos Davelis, director of public affairs at the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), ignored Greece's violations in Turkish airspace and falsely portrayed Türkiye as constantly harassing Greek airspace, suggesting that the Turks wanted F-35s to use in a war against Greece, a tweet that Chikli also retweeted.
Endy Zemenides, executive director of HALC, who was a guest on Steve Bannon's show, asked Trump to demand the following from Türkiye in exchange for the F-35s: “Pull completely out of Cyprus, cancel the casus belli against Greece, and end the Blue Homeland doctrine.”
And now, let's rewind a bit.
Abdi Ipekçi, one of the leading writers in Türkiye at the time, stated in his article on Feb. 13, 1963, that The Economist and some American newspapers argued that Türkiye was no longer as important as it once was, and while he did not disagree with this, he indicated that it was necessary to develop sound countermeasures.
The Jewish newspaper B'nai B'rith Messenger also wrote on April 9, 1965, that Türkiye was weakened, that the only reliable region in the Middle East for the West was Israel, and that it could join NATO. On June 24, 1966, The American Jewish World, while listing the reasons why the U.S. should provide more support for Israel, wrote: “Turkey ... has been outflanked and bypassed by Soviet penetration of Syria.”
Israel was very pleased with that “weak” and “diminished” Türkiye. So much so that, according to David Horowitz, who went there only as a “reporter” for B'nai B'rith, he was greeted with a “royal reception” by Fethi Kardeş, head of the Ministry of Information and Press, and met with the minister of tourism, his deputy, and the Foreign Office spokesperson, and together they raised champagne toasts to Türkiye, Israel and the U.S., as written on July 14, 1967.
However, Horowitz also uses an expression that perfectly reflects the anti-Ottoman sentiment they display today, claiming with pleasure that the Turks were subjected to a “rigorous Ottoman yoke” and that they celebrate their liberation from it.
According to the April 5, 1963, issue of the same newspaper, a Jordanian medical student at Istanbul University was expelled simply for writing a book critical of Israel. As can be seen from what has been reported, Jewish sources that today accuse Türkiye of repression were reporting this with satisfaction at the time.
All the information, which could be increased countless times over, and the ongoing genocide show that Israel does not care about any human or democratic values, that it interprets everything to increase its own power, to weaken its surroundings, and to do whatever it wants in the region, and therefore the issue goes far beyond Erdoğan personally.
Israel's behavior, which has historically sought to portray the Turks as weak and now acts as an ally of the Greeks, shouldn't deceive the Greeks. In the same newspapers of the 1960s, they criticized Makarios and advocated arming the Turks instead of the Greek Cypriots. Furthermore, it's no secret that they consider Cyprus part of the promised land, and show it special interest. Now that Türkiye, once considered “of low importance” and even receiving a Jewish journalist with a “royal reception,” has been replaced by a vastly more powerful and influential force, Israel's rapprochement with them against the Turks is nothing more than using the Greeks for its own purposes. Israel is nobody's friend.
Despite the manipulative Zionist reaction, which is far removed from the dynamics of international relations and a reasonable assessment of the picture, the U.S. could provide F-35s to Türkiye, a key player, if its internal order is restored. However, as former U.S. ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro has pointed out, even if it does so, the U.S. might still try to maintain the superiority of Israel's air force.
