Turkey Blocks NATO-Israel Cooperation Amid Gaza Conflict

Turkey has vetoed NATO's cooperation with Israel since October due to the Gaza conflict. This move has strained relations and halted bilateral trade. Turkey views Israel's actions in Gaza as a violation of international law and NATO's principles, leading to a block on all NATO engagements with Israel.

Turkey has blocked NATO's cooperation with Israel since October due to the ongoing war in Gaza, according to sources familiar with the matter. Ankara insists the alliance should not engage with Israel until the conflict ends.

Israel, a NATO partner, has historically maintained close relations with the alliance, especially the United States. Before the offensive in Gaza by Israel, sparked by Hamas' October 7 attacks, Turkey was working to improve its strained ties with Israel. However, Turkey has since become a vocal critic of Israel's military operation in Gaza, which it condemns as genocidal.

Turkey has also stopped all bilateral trade and criticized many Western allies for supporting Israel. Sources revealed that Turkey had vetoed all NATO engagement with Israel, including joint meetings and exercises, citing a violation of NATO's founding principles by Israel's actions in Gaza.

A U.N. inquiry in June accused both Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes in the initial stages of the Gaza conflict. The report classified Israel's actions as crimes against humanity due to significant civilian casualties—a charge Israel denies, stating its objective is to eliminate Hamas. Turkey has vowed to maintain its block on NATO-Israel cooperation until the conflict resolves, asserting that Israel's actions contravene international law and human rights.

After a NATO summit in July, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stated that NATO could not continue its partnership with Israel's administration. Recently, Israel's foreign minister called for NATO to expel Turkey following Erdogan's implied threat of military action against Israel, akin to past involvements in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh.

(With inputs from agencies.)