Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ended his public Ramadan prayer this week by calling on Allah to “destroy Israel.” This wasn’t a slip of the tongue. It was a deliberate invocation of divine wrath against the only democracy in the Middle East, uttered by a NATO member head of state. And yet, rather than condemn Erdoğan’s incitement to genocide, some in Washington seem eager to reward him—with a ticket back into the U.S. F-35 fighter jet program.
This is the same Erdoğan who publicly celebrated Hamas’ October 7 massacre—the worst terrorist attack against Jews since the Holocaust. The same Erdoğan who gave safe haven to Hamas leadership, allowed terror financing to flow through Turkish banks, and turned Istanbul into a Hamas stronghold. The same Erdoğan who called Hamas “freedom fighters” even as they were raping, beheading, and kidnapping Israeli civilians, including babies and Holocaust survivors.
Now, he’s praying for Israel to be “destroyed,” while Washington considers selling him next-generation stealth bombers capable of reaching Tel Aviv in minutes. It’s madness.
Let’s compare this with what Israel has endured since October 7: over 1,163 murdered, 251 civilians kidnapped and dragged into Gaza, hundreds of rockets fired daily by Iran-backed terror groups including Hezbollah, the Houthis, and militias in Syria and Iraq. Israel has faced ballistic missile attacks from Iran itself—some targeting nearly 5 million civilians. Not a word of condemnation from Erdoğan. Not a single prayer for the hostages starved and raped in Hamas tunnels. But when it comes to cursing Israel, suddenly the Turkish president finds his voice.
And America? Instead of holding Erdoğan accountable for promoting jihadist ideology, the Biden administration spent years freezing weapons to Israel. It took President Trump’s return in 2025 to restore military aid and give Israel the tools it needs to survive.
Why should Erdoğan be allowed anywhere near the F-35 program? This isn’t just about hardware. It’s about loyalty, morality, and the basic decency required to be part of the civilized world. A leader who prays for the destruction of a U.S. ally has no place flying American-made warplanes.
The hypocrisy must end. Erdoğan doesn’t get to chant for genocide at dawn and negotiate arms deals by noon. Washington must make it clear: allies who incite violence against Israel are not allies at all.
