Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin said Monday that the formation of a new Israeli government would help determine whether the tensions between Israel and Turkey stem from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies or reflect a broader position of the Israeli state.
In remarks made during a conference hosted by Turkish think tank Orsam in Ankara and quoted by Middle East Eye, Kalin said Turkey was closely monitoring Gadi Eisenkot's efforts to form a new government in Israel.
Kalin warned that if Israel's approach toward Turkey remained unchanged under a new administration, it would indicate that the hostility extended beyond Netanyahu's government.
"But if the state of Israel decides to define Turkey as the hostile country and the rival country, whatever you call it, of course, then I believe this will be a dangerous path," he said.
Kalin maintained that the dispute between Ankara and Jerusalem centered entirely on the Palestinian issue, arguing that Turkey had no other fundamental bilateral disagreements with Israel.
He recalled that Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel and establish diplomatic, political, and economic ties with it.
"We don't question the existence of Israel," Kalin stated.
According to Kalin, Turkey's demands concern Israel's treatment of Palestinian Arabs, an end to what he described as the occupation, and the prevention of further annexation. He argued that previous diplomatic crises between the two countries had all originated from Israeli policies toward Palestinian Arabs.
The Turkish intelligence chief also defended Ankara's criticism of Israel's military operations in Gaza and Judea and Samaria, saying neither the Turkish government nor the public could be expected to ignore the deaths of thousands of Arabs.
Kalin claimed that Israel's policies over the past several years had contributed to unprecedented international isolation. He suggested that Israelis outside Netanyahu's Likud party recognized the diplomatic consequences of those policies.
He further argued that international public opinion was increasingly rejecting Israel's explanations for its actions, citing recent remarks by US President Donald Trump during an interview with 60 Minutes concerning declining support for Israel.
"I think Israel has much more to worry about than we do and they need to, I think, reconsider all of their policies," Kalin said.
Kalin also accused Israel of pursuing territorial expansion in Lebanon, Syria, and Judea and Samaria, arguing that its actions were contributing to instability throughout the region.
"They want to grab more land," he claimed. "That's a fact."
Despite the growing tensions, Kalin insisted that Turkey was not seeking a confrontation with Israel and had no intention of treating the country as an enemy.
"It is they who need to change," he concluded.