Headline Roundup • March 4th, 2026
Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett Says 'Turkey is the New Iran'
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is expected to run in Israel's elections this fall, recently said Turkey is emerging as a "threat" and that it should be viewed as "the new Iran."
The Details: Bennett made the remarks at the annual Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations summit on February 17. He said, "A new Turkish threat is emerging... And from here I warn: Turkey is the new Iran." Bennett paused for applause before adding, "Erdoฤan is sophisticated, dangerous, and he seeks to encircle Israel." He also accused Turkey of "trying to flip Saudi Arabia against [Israel] and establish a hostile Sunni axis with nuclear Pakistan" and "create a new choke ring" with Syria and Gaza.
For Context: Turkey is over 99% muslim, with around 90% of its population being of the Sunni denomination. The country has also been a member of NATO since 1952. Israel and Turkey have had a tumultuous relationship diplomatically, but in 2022 sought to improve relations. These relations began to deteriorate after Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, and in November 2024, Turkey cut its diplomatic ties with Israel.
How The Media Covered It: A few international outlets, including Qatar's Al Jazeera (Lean Left bias), covered the remarks a week after they happened. The remarks circulated more widely on social media after the US bombed Iran. Mainstream media didn't widely cover the comments, but AllSides found coverage from Britain's BBC (Center) and the DC-based The American Conservative (Right). BBC included the comments as part of a media briefing it published on March 2, where it detailed Turkish media's reactions to the comments. Sumantra Maitra wrote about it in an opinion for The American Conservative on March 3. Maitra described the bombing of Iran as "an American war of choice" and wrote, "The final hegemonic war in the Middle East is coming, and preparations are being made to drag America into it." Al Jazeera said Bennett's comments indicate "Israel is already looking for a new regional nemesis."
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Featured Coverage of this Story
With the likelihood increasing of a United States attack on Iran, Israeli politicians are already turning their attention to another regional rival: Turkiye.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is expected to run and do well in the country's elections this year, was the latest prominent politician to declare Turkiye a threat to Israel.
Turkish media outlets and pundits have increasingly discussed the prospect of Turkey being Israel's "next target" amid ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Iran
Several pundits pointed to remarks from Israeli and US figures to justify these claims
"Israel needs a constant external threat to maintain internal unity and stay afloat. If Iran is no longer a threat, a new enemy is needed. And that enemy is us," one commentator said
ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images
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