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Turkey Supports Russia and Hamas; The US Should Not Give It F-35 Fighter Jets
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi review a guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, Sept. 4, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Recent discussions between Turkey and the United States indicate that the Biden administration is actively pursuing Ankara’s reinstatement in the F-35 program.
It is difficult to justify why Washington would want to arm Turkey with these highly advanced fighter jets, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan takes fervent measures to undermine the core security interests of the United States, NATO, and our transatlantic allies.
Turkey’s eligibility to acquire F-35s was abruptly ended in 2019, in response to Ankara’s insistence on acquiring the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.
Erdogan repeatedly ignored Washington’s warnings that the integration of the Russian system could compromise NATO systems and enable Russia to undermine and steal the F-35s stealth capabilities. Upon delivery of the S-400s, the Trump administration removed Turkey from the F-35 program, and imposed strict sanctions under the provisions of the Countering of America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
Turkey now wants to backtrack from this fateful decision, and has initiated a dialogue with Washington to find a way back into the F-35 program, and Washington is listening.
This is a serious mistake by Washington, and on several fronts.
First, Turkey’s proposed solution to address the S-400 is an insufficient remedy to qualify for receiving a strategic platform that ensures NATO’s competitive edge against adversaries. In late August, Turkish officials reportedly pitched their American counterparts with a plan to permanently warehouse Turkey’s S-400s, but have shown no willingness to completely shut down or transfer the system to American supervision.
More alarmingly, Turkey is not a true believer in the values that define NATO; in fact, President Erdogan presents a clear threat to the objectives and security of the alliance and its members.
In early September 2024, President Erdogan announced his decision to apply to join the non-aligned movement BRICS+. At NATO’s Washington summit in July, he reiterated his desire for Turkey to become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Both of these organizations are not only the antitheses of Western economic and security institutions of which Turkey is a member, but also are dedicated to undermining the rules-based order of the free world.
Most recently, Erdogan gave an interview on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, in which he boasted about Ankara’s expanding relations with Russia and implied that Ankara stands against Ukraine’s membership bid in NATO.
It is not a far leap to assume that Turkey plans on playing a spoiler role in any attempt by Ukraine to join NATO, just as it did with Finland and Sweden between 2022 and 2023.
Ankara’s hardened anti-Israeli stance makes Washington’s embrace of Turkey even more perplexing. On July 12, at the NATO summit in Washington, Turkey threatened to take steps to exclude Israel from all cooperation with NATO. President Erdogan said that “until comprehensive, sustainable peace is established in Palestine, attempts at cooperation with Israel within NATO will not be approved by Turkey.”
Threats to Israel emanating from Ankara are not merely rhetorical.
Erdogan’s Islamist worldview, deeply antisemitic and anti-Israeli, inform his country’s actions. Turkey is the only country in NATO to champion the cause of Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization under the laws of the US, EU, and Canada.
Since October 7, 2023, Erdogan has ramped up his provision of diplomatic, logistical, and perhaps even military support to Hamas.
On July 21, 2024, Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet, foiled a Hamas terrorist attack orchestrated from Turkey. The Shin Bet captured five terrorists who attested to the military training, weaponry, and cash they acquired in Turkey. Israeli security has repeatedly intercepted weaponry and explosive precursors originating from Turkey that smugglers were attempting to get into Gaza.
At a party conference in Rize, Turkey, on July 28, 2024, Erdogan went as far as to threaten to invade Israel right after a Hezbollah rocket supplied by Iran killed 12 children in the Israeli Druze town of Majdal Shams. Erdogan’s inflammatory rhetoric, coupled with his material support for terrorists, suggests that Ankara may pursue an extremely dangerous escalatory posture in the developing conflict between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran.
Given this track record, it is beyond nonsensical why the Biden administration is entering into a dialogue with Ankara, to explore ways to arm Turkey with the Western alliance’s premier strategic weapons capability. It is irresponsible and dangerous. Washington already authorized the sale of new F-16 fighter jets to Ankara in January 2024, to ensure that the Turkish Air Force could maintain readiness as a NATO ally. It is way too soon to begin discussions about ways Ankara can be equipped with F-35s — even if it removes the S-400s from its military inventory. Such a conversation can only begin once a relationship of trust is established with Turkey.
Turkey cannot join a security alliance with the likes of Russia, Iran, and China while being invited back into the F-35 program. Turkey must also make efforts to disentangle itself from Russia’s wartime economy. The US Treasury Department has already sanctioned dozens of Turkish companies and individuals supporting Putin, and this must come to an end.
Turkey must once again chart a serious path to join the European Union. Turkey must join its allies in taking the highest and most punitive measures to undermine Russia’s illegal war efforts against Ukraine, beginning with joining the sanctions regime against Moscow. It must demonstrate a verifiable track record of not antagonizing other NATO members, such as Greece, and EU countries like Cyprus.
It must apologize for its many years of supporting jihadist terrorist networks in the region, beginning with Hamas, but also the Muslim Brotherhood and jihadist militias such as ISIS inside Syria and Iraq. Such entities, which have offices and personnel inside Turkey, must be disestablished, and its operatives extradited to face justice for their crimes. Ankara must disclose and divest itself of all the ways in which it supports such entities.
Finally, any and all discussions about Turkey acquiring US defense programs must begin with Ankara coming into compliance with both the letter and spirit of the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). The most advanced American technology is meant to protect American national security and should be shared only with Washington’s most committed allies and partners. Turkey does not meet that standard.
Sinan Ciddi is a nonresident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on X: @SinanCiddi. Sophia Epley is an intern at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a student at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
The post Turkey Supports Russia and Hamas; The US Should Not Give It F-35 Fighter Jets first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Bryan Singer Secretly Filmed Period Drama With Jon Voight Critical of Israel for Lebanon War: Report
Jon Voight at the opening night of the 2023 Beverly Hills Film Festival held at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood, California, on April 19, 2023. Photo: FS//AdMedia/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Jewish-American filmmaker Bryan Singer has returned to the director’s chair after a long hiatus with a film starring Oscar winner Jon Voight that is set in the Middle East and critical of Israel, Variety revealed on Wednesday.
Singer secretly filmed the period drama and one source who saw the final cut, but is not involved with the production, thinks the feature is “going to be a huge hotbed of controversy” because of its attention on the Middle East. “It makes Israel look really bad and could be polarizing,” the insider told Variety.
The source said the film is set in late 1970s or early 1980s. On June 6, 1982, Israel launched the First Lebanon War against Palestinian terrorists based in southern Lebanon following the attempted assassination of Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom Shlomo Argov by a terrorist cell.
The “Superman Returns” director shot the new film in Greece in 2023, and it focuses on the relationship between a father and son, Variety added. Israeli filmmaker Yariv Horovoitz is also reportedly collaborating on the project. There are no details about a release date.
Voight is a longtime supporter of Israel and said in 2018 that he feels an obligation to combat antisemitism. Last year, he was critical of his daughter, actress and filmmaker Angelina Jolie, when she slammed Israel’s defensive military campaign against Hamas in Gaza following the Palestinian terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.
Singer – who was raised Jewish in suburban New Jersey – has not directed in mainstream Hollywood since he was infamously fired by 20th Century Fox from “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 2017 and replaced during shooting, after several absences during the film’s production. He was signed on to direct a remake of the action film “Red Sonja,” but was reportedly fired from the project amid allegations in 2019 of sexual misconduct involving minors, which he denied.
The director’s past credits include four films in the “X-Men” franchise, “Valkyrie,” and the Oscar-winning film “The Usual Suspects.”
Singer faced sexual misconduct allegations starting in 1997, when two teenage boys claimed the director ordered them to strip naked for a scene in his film “Apt Pupil.” The filmmaker has never faced criminal charges for the sexual misconduct allegations made against him in 1997 or in later years.
Singer has been living in Israel for several years and Variety reported in 2023 that he was looking to make a comeback into the mainstream Hollywood film industry with features set in and around Israel.
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Italian Law Professor Faces Backlash Over Viral Antisemitic Social Media Posts
An Italian law professor is facing mounting backlash after past antisemitic social media posts went viral, sparking outrage among the local Jewish community and public officials.
Professor Luca Nivarra, who teaches in the Faculty of Law at the University of Palermo in Sicily, has come under scrutiny after several of his social media posts went viral, spreading antisemitic and hateful content.
“I don’t want to meddle in matters that don’t concern me directly, but, having very few tools at our disposal to oppose the Palestinian Holocaust, a signal, however modest, could be to unfriend your Jewish ‘friends’ on Facebook, even the ‘good’ ones, who declare themselves disgusted by what the Israeli government and the IDF are doing,” Nivarra wrote in one of his posts.
“They lie, and with their lies, they help cover up the horror: it’s a small, tiny thing, but let’s start making them feel alone, face to face with the monstrosity to which they are complicit,” he continued.
On Tuesday, the university issued a public statement distancing itself from Nivarra’s antisemitic remarks. Despite mounting public outrage, Nivarra has not faced any disciplinary action yet.
Massimo Midiri, Dean of the University of Palermo, condemned such hateful rhetoric, calling it “a personal and culturally dangerous initiative, far removed from our academic principles.”
“Nivarra’s statements risk fueling the very dynamics he claims to oppose. Complex issues like the Middle East conflict require dialogue and critical engagement, not exclusion or ideological censorship,” Midiri said in a statement.
Italy’s Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, also denounced Nivarra’s remarks, saying they “not only offend the Jewish people but also all who uphold the values of respect and civil coexistence.”
“Conflicts are overcome through dialogue, not isolation and it is only through this path that an authentic journey toward peace can be built, an objective to which Italy and the international community continue to dedicate their efforts,” the Italian diplomat wrote in a post on X.
This is not the first time Nivarra has made public antisemitic statements and spread anti-Jewish hateful rhetoric. In his previous Facebook posts, he also wrote that “there are no good Israelis” and that “Israeli society is morally rotten.”
Nivarra also compared the Israeli Defense Forces’ defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas to the actions of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann during the Holocaust.
“The only difference between Adolf Eichmann and the IDF is that Eichmann defended himself by saying he was following orders, while Israeli soldiers happily do what they do,” he wrote in another social media post.
Since his posts went viral, Nivarra has faced mounting criticism on social media, but he has denied any accusations of antisemitism.
“You can call me an anti-Semite when I am not one at all. There is an insurmountable distance between me and the perpetrators of these horrors,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
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‘Six Million Not Enough’: Minneapolis School Shooter Scrawled Antisemitic, Anti-Israel Messages on Guns
Law enforcement officers set up barriers after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, Aug. 27, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ben Brewer
The lone suspect in Wednesday’s mass shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, scrawled antisemitic and anti-Israel messages across his weapons and allegedly shared his desire to kill “filthy Zionist Jews” in a notebook before unleashing a barrage of gunfire on students and parishioners.
Law enforcement officials identified the shooter as Robin Westman, 23, who died by suicide at the scene. According to police, Westman opened fire during morning Mass in the school’s adjoining church, killing two children (aged 8 and 10) and injuring 17 others.
Witnesses said the church erupted in chaos as stained-glass windows shattered and gunfire ripped through pews filled with children. Teachers and staff rushed to shield students, with some ushering them outside the building.
The shooting is being investigated as both a domestic terrorism case and a hate crime against Catholics, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
However, the assailant also appeared to endorse antisemitic conspiracies and express a desire to kill Jews and Israelis.
Researchers at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported they found videos believed to be from Westman showing firearms and ammunition magazines marked with the antisemitic messages. Investigators are also reviewing the now-deleted YouTube channel allegedly linked to Westman that featured disturbing videos uploaded before the attack.
“Israel must fall and “Burn Israel” were among the writings on the weapons, as seen in the video. In addition, the messages on the guns included “6 million wasn’t enough” — an apparent reference to the 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust, and “Burn HIAS” — an apparent reference to a Jewish organization which helps settle refugees.
Westman also allegedly wrote “kill Donald Trump” on a gun magazine as well as anti-black and anti-Latino racist messaging.
The videos also included images of a notebook with writing in the Cyrillic alphabet.
“If I will carry out a racially motivated attack, it would be most likely against filthy Zionist jews,” the notebook said, according to a translation by the New York Post. Westman also allegedly wrote slogans such as “Free Palestine.”
Images of the content has been widely circulated on social media.
Robin Westman, the suspected shooter in today’s mass shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, appears to have had a YouTube Channel named “Robin W” which has since been deleted, that contained several video consisting of guns, a manifesto… pic.twitter.com/B3JJUOIGJp
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) August 27, 2025
Shocking antisemitic messages spotted on the Minneapolis shooter’s gun including:
– “Israel must fall,”
– “Burn Israel”
– “6 million wasn’t enough.”
– “ Burn HIAS (originally a Jewish resettlement org for refugees)Via our colleague @RealSaavedra pic.twitter.com/NFUnkRNlDs
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) August 27, 2025
An analysis of the shooter’s apparent manifesto by the ADL found no singular political motive. The assailant “scrawled numerous references and symbols on their weapons linked to a broad range of mass attackers, mimicking the 2019 Christchurch, 2022 Buffalo, and 2025 Antioch shooters, among others, who marked their weapons before launching their attacks,” the ADL wrote.
“The references found on the attacker’s weapons do not suggest a deep knowledge of white supremacy. Instead, the references point to a broader fixation on mass violence,” the group concluded.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who is Jewish, spoke with raw emotion after visiting the scene. “There are no words that can capture the horror and the evil of this unspeakable act,” he said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the students “were met with evil and horror and death.”
“We often come to these and say these unspeakable tragedies or there’s no words for this. There shouldn’t be words for these types of incidents because they should not happen and there’s no words that are going to ease the pain of the families today,” Walz added.
The suspect was reportedly a transgender woman who changed her name from Robert to Robin in 2020. Westman’s mother worked as a secretary at Annunciation until 2021, according to news reports, and authorities are still examining whether that connection influenced the target.
The tragedy adds to a growing list of school and faith-based shootings in the United States this year. Experts warn that antisemitic conspiracy theories, spread widely online, can inspire such violent attacks.
The tragedy came a week after the ADL released a new report highlighting how extremist online spaces are fueling not only school shootings but also a broader rise in antisemitism across the US. According to the report, many websites containing violent and gruesome material have pulled young people into white supremacist propaganda and conspiracy theories, inspiring them to commit deadly attacks.