An Israeli Cabinet minister said Turkey should be treated as an “enemy state” and warned that Ankara would “pay a huge price” if it went to war with Israel, Middle East Eye reported, citing the Israeli news outlet Srugim.
Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar made the remarks during a discussion about the Global Sumud Flotilla, a Gaza-bound aid mission that departed from Turkey and was later intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.
“We must begin to treat Turkey as an enemy state,” Zohar said.
“If Turkey chooses the path of war with us, it will undoubtedly pay a very heavy price. Israel knows how to defend itself and how to harm those who harm it,” he said.
Zohar also claimed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said he would build an army to conquer Israel.
“There were Iranians who thought the same thing, and look where they are now. If the Turks think the same thing, they will be in a much worse situation,” Zohar said.
The remarks came after Israeli forces intercepted vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which sought to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver aid to the enclave. Israeli forces boarded the last flotilla boats on Tuesday after the mission departed from Turkey.
Flotilla organizers said Israeli forces fired on five boats during the operation.
Israeli media reported that the flotilla had been divided into “European boats” and “Turkish boats,” with Israeli forces allegedly planning to separate the vessels by nationality.
The flotilla organizers denied the claim.
“The Israeli military is fabricating an outright lie to isolate specific vessels and invoke past incidents — specifically the 2010 lethal assault on the Mavi Marmara, with which GSF has no affiliation,” they said.
Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned the interception, calling it “an act of piracy” and saying Israel had violated humanitarian principles and international law by targeting a mission organized to deliver aid to Gaza.
The crisis grew after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released videos showing detained flotilla participants with their hands tied behind their backs. In one video, activists were kneeling with their heads touching the floor while Ben-Gvir walked among them.
The European Commission called the treatment of the detained activists “completely unacceptable” and said all detainees must be treated with safety and dignity under international law.
Turkey’s foreign ministry said Ben-Gvir’s conduct toward detained activists “openly demonstrated to the world the violent and barbaric mindset” of Israel’s government.
Zohar’s comments reflect a shift in Israeli political rhetoric toward Turkey since the US-Israeli war with Iran and amid disputes over Gaza, Syria and regional influence. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, now an opposition figure, said in February that Turkey was “the next Iran,” while Israeli commentators have increasingly portrayed Ankara as a possible regional rival to Israel.