From the Liveblog of
Friday, December 5, 2025
US envoy, noting Trump-Erdogan ‘bromance,’ says US wants role for Turkey in Gaza
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack tells a conference in Abu Dhabi that Washington wants Ankara to be involved in the international stabilization force envisioned for the Gaza Strip.
He posits that, if included, Turkey could succeed at nonviolently disarming Hamas, due to its ties with the terror group. Still, he says he doesn’t think Israel will agree to let Turkey participate.
“If I were personally advising [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, I’d say that’s one of the most brilliant things he could do,” Barrack says, according to Bloomberg. “Do I think it’s going to happen? No. It’s trust and I don’t think that trust exists.”
Barrack also repeats his concern about escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, one year after a US-brokered ceasefire went into effect, which called on both the terror group and Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon, which has nevertheless seen near-daily Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah operatives.
“My personal opinion is: you kill one terrorist, you create 10,” he says of Israeli military actions. “That can’t be the answer. There has to be another answer.”
Barrack urges direct talks between Israel and Lebanon, saying it’s “time to march to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, sit down and have a discussion,” declaring: “It’s time to end this.”
The American ambassador also says he expects Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to get soon rid of Russian defense equipment whose purchase precluded Ankara from participating in the US’s F-35 stealth jet development program.
“My belief is that those issues will be resolved in the next upcoming four to six months,” Barrack says, according to the news site. Asked if Turkey is closer to getting rid of the system, he says “yes.”
He notes the “bromance” between Erdogan and US President Donald Trump.
Additionally, Barrack, who also serves as a special envoy to Syria, says he’s hopeful the US Congress will lift remaining sanctions against Damascus, imposed when the now-toppled Bashar al-Assad regime ruled the country.
The Times of Israel Community.