Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s announcement Wednesday that Ankara would sever all remaining ties with Israel was condemned by lawmakers on Capitol Hill on both sides of the aisle.

Erdoğan told reporters aboard his plane en route to Ankara from Azerbaijan, where he was attending the annual UN COP29 summit, that his government would end all diplomatic relations with Israel. The comments come six months after Turkey imposed a trade embargo with Israel to protest the war in Gaza.

“The Government of the Republic of Türkiye, under the leadership of Tayyip Erdoğan, will not continue or develop its relations with Israel,” Erdoğan said. “(Our ruling coalition) is resolute in its decision to cut ties with Israel, and we will maintain this position in the future as well. »

These comments follow a year of increasing hostility and aggression from Erdoğan towards the Jewish state. Turkey announced in May that it would cut all trade ties with Israel.

Erdogan’s remarks came in response to a question from a journalist on his presidential plane seeking to confirm Turkish media reports that trade relations with Israel were continuing quietly.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Jewish insider that “Israel is not aware of a change of status in its relations with Turkey”. The Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv was still open on Wednesday, according to ynet.

The Turkish president’s statements and actions have sparked growing hostility on Capitol Hill, where some lawmakers recently asked a public condemnation of the administration.

Reactions to the comments were swift and harsh, with lawmakers warning the Turkish leader against pursuing such a strategy.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told JI, “I think Turkey’s approach to the conflict has been outrageous. I think Israel will do very well.

“This will harm Turkey in the West,” he added.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) said the move was “a bad decision on his part” and that he “hopes that President Trump will use his influence on (Erdoğan) to get him to change his position.” .

Most lawmakers who spoke to JI expressed concern over the development.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, condemned Erdoğan’s behavior without discussing what steps could be taken.

“He’s been moving in this direction for a while. It is extremely disappointing to have a NATO ally doing this. He was horribly wrong in his accusations about what is happening in the Middle East. We recognize it. We know he’s done it in the past. This concerns us,” Cardin said.

“It’s never good when two close allies of the United States argue in such a big way,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) told JI. “We all remember when Erdoğan sponsored the (Gaza) flotilla (2010 raid). Turkey was one of the first, oldest and most loyal supporters of Israel in the Muslim world. I look forward to delving deeper into the reasons for this and better understanding how this involves our relations with both countries.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) called the situation “very unfortunate, obviously, but maybe not shocking.” However, he said he was unsure of the best way to rein in Turkey without alienating a key ally.

“Turkey, yes, is a NATO ally, but it has also been a rebellious NATO ally in recent times. It has been difficult for them to keep up with Ukraine, let alone Israel. I’m not sure what to do about the situation in Türkiye, because I don’t want to oversimplify it. Erdoğan, he’s complicated,” Cramer explained.

“Obviously we want them as NATO allies, obviously we love them as American allies and obviously what we don’t want to do is push them into the arms of an enemy. So I don’t know how you discipline that. I really don’t,” he continued.

JI’s Lahav Harkov contributed to this report