The 81st United Nations General Assembly session once again exposed a diplomatic rupture that has been taking place for several years. In his address to the world body, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan deliberately refused to name Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a calculated diplomatic strategy that Turkish analysts describe as a “legal and moral quarantine” designed to strip the Israeli leader of any legitimacy or diplomatic standing. Instead, Erdoğan focused his remarks on Gaza, the Palestinians, and the dysfunction of the international system, calling for greater pressure on Israel and the recognition of Palestine as an independent state.

Netanyahu, by contrast, responded with a direct and personal attack. From the UN podium, the Israeli prime minister called Erdoğan a “tyrant,” accused Turkiye of being “the latest country to become a super spreader of antisemitic lies,” and claimed Ankara hosts the Palestinian Hamas resistance group leadership. He further incited against Turkiye, accusing it of “illegally occupying northern Cyprus,” violating the rights of Greece, and seeking to govern Jerusalem. However, as he started his speech dozens of delegates walked out of the chamber, reflecting growing international outcry against him and his government policy whether in Palestine or in the entire region. 

Erdoğan’s response was swift and unequivocal. Speaking in Istanbul, he declared that the place for “war criminals” is not the UN platform but the courtrooms where they stand trial for their crimes.

The contrast in rhetorical strategy—one leader focused on the system and the principles, the other on personal attacks and aggressiveness—reflects a deeper divergence. The policies of each indicate that Ankara and Tel Aviv have reached an almost irreversible divergent point on every file of contention between them.

The contrast in rhetorical strategy—one leader focused on the system and the principles, the other on personal attacks and aggressiveness—reflects a deeper divergence. The policies of each indicate that Ankara and Tel Aviv have reached an almost irreversible divergent point on every file of contention between them.

Already collapsing bilateral ties

The deterioration of Turkish-Israeli relations has moved far beyond diplomatic rhetoric. In August 2026, Turkiye’s Justice Ministry........

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