Erdogan's dual diplomacy: Turkey courts Japan, reassures Israel at UNGA

Erdogan finds a surprising partner in Japan on Iran and Hormuz, while separately telling Israelis Turkey has no hostility.

Erdogan's dual diplomacy: Turkey courts Japan, reassures Israel at UNGA — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly and agreed to tighten coordination on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.[^1] The meeting, reported by Maariv, frames Erdogan's pivot toward an Asian partner on a maritime chokepoint that has drawn competing US and Gulf interests. The same outlet notes that Donald Trump is seeking a deal with Iran, while his Gulf allies, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, push to continue the naval blockade — a tension that makes the Japan-Turkey axis a potentially significant third force.[^2] Separately, Erdogan published a surprising message to the Israeli public in a Newsweek interview. "Turkey has no hostility toward the people of Israel, or toward any other society," he said.[^3] The statement, covered by Maariv, contrasts sharply with Qatar's approach at the same UNGA platform: Emir Tamim bin Hamad al Thani told the assembly that "Israel is not a democratic state in a hostile environment, as its leaders claim, but rather it is the one that is hostile to its environment."[^4] The JPost report on Qatar's UNGA narrative highlights how Doha leveraged the forum to attack Israel's democratic character while advancing its own social rights record. Erdogan's dual messaging — tightening coordination with Japan on Iran while reassuring Israelis — suggests a calibrated foreign policy aimed at preserving multiple diplomatic lanes. The question is whether his outreach to Tokyo can produce tangible results on the Strait of Hormuz, or whether it remains a rhetorical counterweight to the Trump-Gulf dynamic. IDF operations intensify: tunnel destruction, financial targeting, and force reinforcement ahead of Sukkot — Fighters from the Givati Brigade Combat Team and the Yahalom unit destroyed a strategic underground route approximately two kilometers long in the southern Gaza Strip today (Friday), as part of clearing the Yellow Line area of terrorist infrastructure. The operation comes as the IDF announced a widespread reinforcement of forces across all sectors ahead of the Sukkot holiday, with the