No one wants to be photographed with Netanyahu anymore, says Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has increasingly isolated his country by pursuing aggressive military policies that have brought widespread death and destruction across the region, says Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Speaking to journalists in Istanbul on Thursday, Fidan said that under the current circumstances, normalising relations with Israel has become virtually impossible—not only for Türkiye, but for many countries around the world.

“As long as this continues, it is impossible not only for us but for many countries to normalise relations with Israel,” Fidan said, referring to Israel’s ongoing military campaign.

His remarks pointed to a broader diplomatic reality in which Israel’s leadership is facing growing resistance, not just from governments, but from rights groups and elected officials in Europe.

Fidan highlighted the visible reluctance of European leaders to engage publicly with Netanyahu, noting that few, if any, are willing to travel to Israel or be photographed alongside him.

“No one is going (to Israel),” he said. “Why aren’t they going? European leaders are elected. They know that being photographed with him is not a good thing these days.”

Fidan says democratic accountability has become a decisive factor shaping foreign policy choices, as leaders weigh diplomatic engagements against the expectations and sensitivities of their voters.

The Turkish foreign minister framed this distancing as evidence of Israel’s growing diplomatic isolation. He questioned whether Netanyahu could realistically visit any country outside the United States, suggesting that even close allies were increasingly cautious.

“Can he go anywhere outside America? He can’t. Maybe he'll come to Greece” Fidan said.

Fidan said that Türkiye’s position on Israel should not be seen as an outlier or an ideologically driven stance. Instead, he described it as part of a broader, shared response emerging within the international community.

“This is not just our stance,” he said. “It is a policy expressed by the international community, which shares the same conscience and values, in different formats and styles.”

Fidan said some countries have chosen to articulate their opposition to Israel openly, while others have opted for quieter forms of disengagement, avoiding high-level visits and symbolic gestures without issuing public statements.

This divergence in style, he argued, does not change the substance of the message being sent to Israeli leadership.