Francis J. Ricciardone said he believed that portraying Israel as an enemy or stoking hostility toward Israel would offer Recep Tayyip Erdoğan no particular political benefit.
Ricciardone, a former U.S. ambassador to Türkiye, made the assessment on Al Jazeera’s “This Is America” program.
Erdoğan’s stance on Gaza
Ricciardone said Erdoğan genuinely disliked or opposed Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, particularly those in Gaza. The former diplomat said Erdoğan had held these views for a long time.
Claim of political value for Netanyahu
Ricciardone argued that, for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, creating the perception that Israel was at war with another party could carry political value.
Ricciardone also pointed to the legislative elections planned in Israel for October and said it remained to be seen what would happen in the elections.