Turkey in the Israeli Information Space (March-May 2025): Threat or Strategic Player?

Executive Summary

This comprehensive analytical report examines the dramatic transformation of Turkish-Israeli relations through the lens of Israeli media discourse during the critical period of March-May 2025. Drawing from extensive analysis of Israeli media sources, government reports, intelligence assessments, and expert commentary, the study reveals a fundamental shift in Israeli strategic thinking regarding Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership.

Core Research Findings:

Military-Strategic Realignment — Documentation of Turkey’s military expansion in Syria and its emergence as what Israeli defense officials term a “new northern threat.” The report analyzes the groundbreaking Nagel Commission assessment that Turkey’s military consolidation in Syria poses a potentially greater danger than the traditional Iranian threat, marking a seismic shift in Israeli threat calculations.

Ideological Confrontation — In-depth examination of escalating anti-Zionist rhetoric from Turkish leadership, systematic support for Palestinian armed groups, and Turkey’s positioning as an ideological nexus of Islamic-world opposition to Israel. The analysis includes previously unreported details of high-level Hamas-Turkey coordination and intelligence assessments of Turkish sanctuary operations.

Economic Warfare Assessment — Detailed evaluation of Turkey’s comprehensive trade embargo against Israel and empirical analysis demonstrating Israeli economic resilience through supply chain diversification. The report challenges conventional assumptions about economic leverage in modern interstate relations.

Diplomatic Maneuvering — Exclusive coverage of Azerbaijan-mediated deescalation talks and efforts to establish military deconfliction mechanisms in Syria modeled on the former Israel-Russia coordination framework. The analysis reveals previously undisclosed details of proposed sphere-of-influence arrangements.

Regional Alliance Formation — Investigation of the emergence of a “Sunni-Islamist axis” led by Turkey as a potential alternative to Iran’s traditional “axis of resistance,” including detailed mapping of Turkey-Qatar-Hamas coordination networks and implications for regional power balance.

Analytical Significance:

The research identifies a paradigm shift in Israeli strategic doctrine—from viewing Turkey as a “difficult neighbor” to recognizing it as a potential strategic adversary capable of challenging Israeli interests across multiple domains simultaneously. This transformation has profound implications for regional security architecture and alliance structures.

Policy Implications:

The report provides policymakers, defense analysts, and regional experts with critical insights into one of the Middle East’s most consequential bilateral relationships. The analysis demonstrates how 2025’s geopolitical realities are reshaping traditional configurations of conflict and cooperation, with particular relevance for NATO alliance management and U.S. regional strategy.

Methodology and Sources:

The analysis employs systematic media content analysis, cross-referencing 40 primary sources including leading Israeli outlets (The Jerusalem Post, Ynet, Israel Hayom, Makor Rishon), classified government assessments (Bank of Israel, Nagel Commission), intelligence evaluations (Meir Amit Intelligence Center), and international expert analysis. The study benefits from unique access to Hebrew-language sources and insider government reporting rarely available to Western analysts.

Publication Details:

Scope: 6,671 words of original analysis
Research Period: March-May 2025
Language: English executive summary
Format: PDF optimized for digital publication
Classification: Open source intelligence analysis

Target Audience: Senior policymakers, defense analysts, academic researchers, and journalists covering Middle East security affairs.