Expel Turkey from the NATO alliance and bring in Cyprus and Israel as members.
Am Thinker | April 2, 2026
Map of the districts of Cyprus, named in English, with English annotations, and showing the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, United Kingdom Sovereign Base Areas, and United Nations buffer zone. Photo by Golbez – Own work (traced from public domain UN or CIA maps.), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikipedia
“I’m so disappointed in NATO, because this was a test for NATO,” said President Trump on March 26 while speaking about the Iran war.
While President Trump has long criticized the UN and NATO, there is a major difference between the tremendous failings of the two organizations. A quick review of their structures shows that while the U.N. is probably impossible to course-correct, NATO is a very different story.
The U.N. is bloated, paralyzed, and utterly incapable of meeting the challenges of the world today. NATO, on the other hand, is much smaller and has a mission that is vastly more important to U.S. interests. So what can be done to make NATO better? One step that would send a clear signal to Europe that Washington is serious about reforming NATO would be to advocate expelling Turkey.
In July 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus, and thousands died. To this day, a Turkish puppet state occupies 36% to 37% of the island nation. NATO member Greece, along with Cyprus and Israel, has grown increasingly concerned about Turkey’s extremism and its close relationship with Iran.
Turkey has already signaled that it has moved on from NATO. As a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, it has shifted directly into the orbit of SCO members that include such American adversaries as Iran, China, and Russia.
If Turkey were to leave NATO, a natural result could be Cyprus and Israel joining it.
If Cyprus and Israel were brought into NATO, it would strengthen the alliance. Israel’s presence would add the proven, real-world experience with missile defense systems that NATO lacks. As long as Turkey is part of NATO, it is against Israel’s best interests to share this technology.
NATO member Greece, along with Cyprus and Israel, has grown increasingly concerned about Turkey’s extremism, as well as its close relationship with Iran.
At a summit in Jerusalem on Dec. 22, Greece, Cyprus, and Israel adopted a strident tone and agreed to strengthen trilateral cooperation in the Mediterranean. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides signed a joint declaration to advance an energy deal and pledged to “reinforce our ongoing trilateral cooperation on security, defense, and military matters.”
Erdo?an responded by sharply criticizing Israel and Cyprus. “We will not permit the violation of the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots,” he said. About Israel, he added: “Turkey … will not back down, we will not stay silent, we will not forget; we will never leave Gaza alone.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is often mentioned as a possible successor and has repeatedly condemned Israeli actions. On Nov. 30, while in Iran, he described Israel as “the biggest threat to stability in the Middle East,” even as he touted expanded Turkish cooperation with Iran on energy, trade, border security, and regional security matters.
For years, Turkey has described Hamas as a “liberation movement” and has not formally designated it as a terrorist organization. Hamas has used Turkish territory as a base for coordination, recruitment, and financial operations linked to terrorism. U.S. and allied security services have repeatedly warned about networks tied to Hamas activities on Turkish soil.
Since at least 2023, senior Hamas leaders have had connections with Turkey. Ismail Haniyeh, the former head of Hamas’s political bureau, was killed in Tehran in July 2024, and Turkey publicly mourned his death.
Turkey’s ruling party, the AKP, and Hamas share ideological roots in the broader Muslim Brotherhood movement. Erdo?an has been a vocal critic of Israel’s response to the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and has used his international platform to offer political support to Hamas. He has also consistently rejected characterizing Hamas as a terrorist organization.
The sooner NATO is reformed—and without Turkey—the safer Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East will be.
Moshe Phillips is national chairman of Americans For A Safe Israel, AFSI, (www.AFSI.org), a leading pro-Israel advocacy and education organization.
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