Israel has begun preparing a possible legal case against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to Israeli media reports. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed an interministerial team and a senior official in the Justice Ministry’s International Law Department to prepare a legal file concerning the Turkish president.
The report was published Sunday, September 28, by Israeli news outlet i24NEWS, which cited sources familiar with the matter. There has been no immediate public confirmation from the Turkish government.
According to i24NEWS, the move followed Erdoğan’s announcement that Türkiye had sought an INTERPOL Red Notice for Netanyahu. Türkiye formally requested an INTERPOL Red Notice for Netanyahu in August in connection with a Turkish criminal case concerning Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla. Turkish authorities said the case includes allegations of genocide, crimes against humanity, unlawful detention and other offenses.
A Red Notice is a request to law-enforcement authorities in member countries to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or similar legal proceedings. It is not, by itself, an international arrest warrant.
Possible Case at the ICC
According to the i24NEWS report, Israel could potentially seek to take the matter to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The report said the proposed case would focus primarily on Israel’s allegations concerning Erdoğan’s treatment of Kurdish groups in Türkiye and would also address allegations regarding the Turkish government’s support or funding of Hamas.
However, it remains unclear whether Israel would actually submit such a case.
Sources cited by i24NEWS said Israel could instead seek to pursue the matter through a third party. They also indicated that the preparation of a legal file could itself be intended as a means of putting pressure on Erdoğan and deterring further action against Israel.
The report said the case might ultimately never be filed.
Neither Netanyahu nor Israeli Justice Ministry officials commented to i24NEWS on the reported preparations.
Growing Legal and Diplomatic Confrontation
The reported Israeli move is the latest development in an increasingly tense legal and diplomatic confrontation between Israel and Türkiye.
In August, Türkiye announced that it had asked INTERPOL to issue a Red Notice for Netanyahu as part of a domestic criminal case involving Israel’s interception of a humanitarian aid flotilla bound for Gaza. Türkiye’s Justice Ministry said arrest warrants had been issued in July and that the relevant documents had been forwarded to the Interior and Foreign Ministries.
The Turkish proceedings involve Netanyahu and Israeli official Afek Moskovitch, among others, and include allegations ranging from crimes against humanity and genocide to unlawful detention, torture, intentional injury, property damage and hijacking. These are allegations in an ongoing Turkish legal proceeding, not findings of guilt.
The reported Israeli response comes against the backdrop of wider disagreements over Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Türkiye’s increasingly vocal criticism of the Israeli government.
Dispute Over Erdoğan’s Policies Toward the Kurds
One potential focus of an Israeli case would be Erdoğan’s government’s policies toward Kurdish groups in Türkiye.
According to i24NEWS, the proposed legal file would place particular emphasis on allegations concerning the treatment of Kurdish minorities. The issue is especially notable because Türkiye is also pursuing a renewed peace process involving the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The proposed Israeli case could also examine allegations concerning the Turkish government’s relationship with Hamas, according to the Israeli report.
These allegations would be part of a potential legal submission and should not be confused with a judicial determination that Erdoğan or the Turkish government has committed an international crime.
Netanyahu and Erdoğan Exchange Sharp Criticism
The latest developments follow increasingly hostile rhetoric between the two leaders.
In a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Netanyahu referred to Erdoğan as a “dictator.” Turkish officials subsequently rejected Netanyahu’s remarks, accusing him of attempting to divert attention from Israel’s actions in Gaza and its military operations in the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria.
Erdoğan has been one of the most outspoken international critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and has repeatedly called for international action over the Palestinian territory.
The two governments are now facing a situation in which legal proceedings or proposed proceedings against their respective leaders are becoming part of a broader diplomatic confrontation.
For now, however, Israel has reportedly ordered preparations for a possible case against Erdoğan, but there is no indication that a case has actually been filed with the ICC. Whether the legal file proceeds beyond the preparation stage remains uncertain.
