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Israel is running out of chances to block Türkiye from being involved in various projects in the Middle East, a source with knowledge of the matter told Israeli media outlet The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
"There is a limit to how many times Israel can say 'no' to Trump regarding President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan. Everyone knows how fond Trump is of him, and after Israel said no to Turkish forces in Gaza, the question is how many more 'no's remain," the source told the Post.
While Israel has sought to block any Turkish involvement in Gaza, sources say Jerusalem's options may be limited.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed Türkiye's potential involvement in the International Stabilization Force to be deployed in the Gaza Strip during their meeting in Florida last week, according to a source familiar with the talks cited by Israeli media outlet Haaretz.
"Trump supports including Türkiye in the force and believes its participation would make it easier for Hamas to hand over its weapons to the force," the source said.
Trump himself said at a joint press conference that he does not rule out Turkish participation, and even noted that Türkiye is "excellent" and that Turkish forces could be good in Gaza.
During his meeting with Trump, Netanyahu sought to draw a red line regarding possible Ankara involvement.
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According to Israeli media outlet Channel 12, Netanyahu's opposition to Turkish participation has deterred other countries, such as Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, from offering forces.
The framework for the arrangement, formulated through the mediation of President Trump in September, includes the establishment of an international force that will secure Gaza and take over areas currently under Hamas control.
As Israel and the United States struggle to recruit foreign countries willing to send troops to the international stabilization force in Gaza, Israel continues to oppose Türkiye's participation in the initiative strongly.
Last month, Türkiye was absent from a meeting on the issue organized in Doha by U.S. Central Command. Sources cited by Israeli media estimated that Ankara was not invited due to Israel's veto on its participation in the force.
"There is no other reason," an Arab source told Haaretz at the time, adding that, "Türkiye was invited to the conference in Sharm el-Sheikh in October, its relations with the United States and Qatar are excellent, Türkiye has signed the Sharm declaration and is ready to participate in the multinational force. The only party saying no is Israel."
The Turkish president recently criticized the possibility of establishing an international force in Gaza without Turkish participation in an interview with Bloomberg.
Erdogan said such a force would not be legitimate and would not gain the trust of the Palestinian public if Türkiye is not part of it.
"We are in the position of a key country for such a mission due to our deep historical ties with the Palestinian side, the security and diplomacy channels we have conducted with Israel in the past, and our regional influence as a NATO member country," he said.
"Our political will is clear; we stand ready to take on any responsibility for a lasting peace in Gaza," he added.
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