Pappas Statement on Erdogan’s Threat to Invade Israel

Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), Co-Chair of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, released a statement denouncing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's dangerous statements that Turkey may attack Israel:

"I condemn President Erdogan’s dangerous threats to attack Israel in the strongest possible terms. President Erdogan and his government’s long-standing political, logistical, and financial support for Hamas is well-known and puts the lives of innocent civilians at risk every day. Any effort by Turkey to violate Israel's sovereignty, especially during the ongoing war with Hamas and Hezbollah, would be a direct threat to U.S. national security interests and would only serve to further destabilize the region. President Erdogan must be roundly condemned and held accountable for his increasingly belligerent rhetoric towards America’s democratic allies like Israel."

President Erdogan has repeatedly refused to acknowledge Hamas as a terrorist organization, including in the wake of the deadly October 7th terrorist attack in Israel. 

Pappas has denounced the Erdogan government for making Turkey a sanctuary for Hamas, with experts describing it as the second-largest Hamas base after Gaza, with Hamas's Istanbul base of operations functioning as a crucial hub for strengthening Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel.

Pappas has been a leader in Congress for holding Turkey accountable for its unprovoked aggression in the region and has led the bipartisan opposition to the United States selling F-16s and modernization kits to Turkey. 

Pappas secured a bipartisan provision in the House's National Defense Authorization Act that would stop President Biden from selling F-16s to Turkey and put in place Congressional oversight to ensure that Turkey does not use F-16s to violate other nations’ sovereignty.