Two months ago, the global commentariat was sent into a tizzy when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted that he might send troops into Israel to intervene on behalf of Palestinians. Recalling that Turkey had done just that in places like Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, skewing outcomes in favor of its Libyan and Azerbaijani allies, Erdogan said, “Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we will do [something] similar to them.”

Turkey, predictably, did nothing of the sort, and now Erdogan is claiming that it’s Israel that may well attack Turkey. Addressing the inaugural session of the parliament last week, Erdogan declared, “The Israeli leadership, seized with delirium of the promised land and driven by religious fanaticism, will turn to our homeland after Palestine and Lebanon.” 

There is no evidence to suggest that Israel has any such intention, though its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and several members of his cabinet, notably Foreign Minister Israel Katz, despise Erdogan and have made their feelings public. Analysts believe Erdogan's claims are absurd.

“Erdogan’s claim, now repeated several times, is so absurd as to barely warrant comment. Israel’s hands are full on multiple fronts. Why would it want to attack, for no apparent reason, the strongest military in the region, which happens also to be a NATO member? Ridiculous assertion,” Alan Makovsky, a former senior staffer who had responsibility for Turkey on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a senior fellow for the Center for American Progress, told Al-Monitor.