Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some politicians around him appear to be foregrounding anti-Türkiye rhetoric in their election campaign. The rhetoric appears to have intensified after Israel was forced by US pressure to limit its attacks on Iran and Lebanon.
Netanyahu is described as the first Israeli prime minister to stand trial on corruption charges while in office. On November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court also issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Likud losing ground in polls
Opinion polls conducted ahead of Israel’s planned October 27 elections show a decline in the seat count of Netanyahu’s Likud Party. Some polls project Likud’s current 32 seats will fall to 23, while another puts the figure at 20.
The combined seat count of Likud and its coalition partners, which include far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, also appears to be below the 61 seats needed to form a government. One poll estimates that Netanyahu and his coalition partners would win a total of 51 seats.
Iran and Lebanon issues
Following an understanding reached between Washington and Tehran, Netanyahu was forced by US pressure to end the attacks on Iran. The decision was criticized by coalition partners and opposition leaders.
Yair Lapid, former Israeli prime minister and leader of the opposition Yesh Atid Party, said Netanyahu had lost the war. Avigdor Lieberman, a former defense minister, criticized Netanyahu over the ceasefire in Lebanon, accusing him of being a puppet rather than a prime minister.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also told Netanyahu that Donald Trump, the US president, should be told no when necessary. Israel’s attacks on Lebanon were also largely halted at Washington’s request, although bombardments have continued at times.
Anti-Türkiye statements
Amihai Chikli, a Likud lawmaker and diaspora affairs minister, argued that Israel would sooner or later go to war with Syria. Chikli described Türkiye and Syria as a development of greater concern to Israel than Iran.
Energy Minister Eli Cohen said that Israel would also establish a base if Türkiye set up a military base in Syria. Defense Minister Yisrael Katz also appears to have made critical posts targeting Türkiye and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The statements appear to have increased after Israel’s August 18 attack on the abandoned Abu al-Zuhur military air base in Syria’s Idlib province. Opposition leaders Yair Golan and Ehud Barak argued that the attack was linked to electoral calculations.
Turkish Consulate General in Jerusalem also in the spotlight
Some programs broadcast on Israeli television raised allegations of unauthorized renovations at the building housing the Turkish Consulate General in Palestine in occupied East Jerusalem. The programs claimed that the Jerusalem municipality had not been allowed to inspect the building.
Another television program discussed allegations that Türkiye was seeking to establish control over East Jerusalem. The program also covered humanitarian assistance provided to Palestinians by Türkiye-based organizations and the activities of the Yunus Emre Cultural Center.
