Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan delivered a sharp assessment of Israel’s regional conduct, saying the country is actively searching for a new adversary in an attempt to rehabilitate an image that has already been condemned by the international community.
Speaking on the Turkish program “Gece Görüşü,” broadcast on CNN TÜRK, Fidan addressed Israeli policy, the wider fallout from the region’s ongoing conflicts, and Turkey’s position on unfolding regional developments.
The foreign minister argued that Israel had spent years concealing its actual policies behind what he described as an “illusion” the West had chosen to embrace. That illusion, he said, is no longer sustainable now that it has lost its power to persuade international public opinion.
Fidan was unambiguous about Ankara’s posture toward confrontation. “As long as Israel or any other party acts against our national and regional interests, there is nothing that would make us afraid, hesitant, or willing to back down in front of anyone. We have no problem with that. Confrontation is not an issue for us,” he said.
He went on to frame the Israel issue as bigger than a Turkish grievance or a matter tied to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally. “The real problem is that Israel isn’t just my problem — it’s the world’s problem. That needs to be said plainly,” Fidan said, describing the situation as a global crisis that has moved beyond the framework of routine bilateral disputes.
His remarks come amid heightened rhetoric from Ankara toward Israel following the war in Gaza, with Turkish officials repeatedly calling for the international community to hold Israel accountable through diplomatic and economic pressure.