President Donald Trump's decision to lift U.S. defense sanctions on Turkey is not just another diplomatic misstep.

It is a direct betrayal of Israel, the Jewish people, and America's long-standing policy to preserve Israel's Qualitative Military Edge.

Trump announced that Washington would lift sanctions imposed on Turkey over Ankara's purchase of Russia's S-400 missile system, a move that could reopen the door to Turkey acquiring F-35 stealth fighters. 

That is the same Turkey led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan — a man who has repeatedly attacked Israel politically, aligned himself with Islamist causes, and positioned Ankara as a rival power in the Middle East.

This is not how a faithful ally behaves. 

This is not how a president who claims to support Israel behaves. 

This is how a president rewards a NATO member like Turkey that refused to stand with the United States when it mattered most.

Trump has spent years castigating European NATO countries for failing to support America, failing to spend enough on defense, and failing to stand shoulder to shoulder with Washington. 

Yet Turkey is also a NATO member. 

During the recent U.S.-Iran conflict, Turkey did not help the United States. 

It did not allow its air, land, or sea assets to be used for operations.

Erdogan thumbed his nose at Trump and stated that Ankara would not permit its territory or airspace to be used in a war to which Turkey was not a party.

Even worse, Trump himself publicly claimed that Erdogan was "a prime candidate" to enter the war with Iran — "maybe on the Iran side" — because, as Trump put it, Erdogan is "not a big fan of Israel." 

Trump said he personally asked Erdogan to stay out of the conflict.

Think about that.

The president of the United States is now rewarding a NATO ally that, by Trump's own telling, might have entered the war on the side of Iran. 

Now, the "reward" for such disloyalty may be access to the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world—after Erdogan flouted NATO by buying Russia's advanced weaponry.

That is madness.

Turkey declined to support U.S. military operations against Iran, prioritized preventing Kurdish gains over confronting Tehran, and, according to Trump's own public statements, was a potential participant on Iran's side before deciding to stay out. 

Iran has a significant Kurdish population in its north. 

Had the Kurds risen up in the days after February 28, the regime's grip on the country may well have collapsed.

But Turkey's actions scuttled U.S. and Israeli plans for such a revolt.

Ankara's overriding concern was clear: Turkey feared any policy that might strengthen Kurdish forces more than it feared Iran.

For Israel, the danger is obvious. The F-35 is not just another aircraft. It is a strategic platform. 

Israel's possession of the F-35 helps preserve its military superiority against hostile states and non-state enemies. 

Allowing Erdogan's Turkey to move toward that same capability erodes Israel's edge and signals that Washington's promises are negotiable.

This is only the latest in a series of Trump decisions that have damaged Israel's strategic position. 

He imposed premature ceasefires that preserved Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran's military infrastructure. 

He walked away from Yemen, leaving Israel exposed to the Houthis. 

He negotiated understandings with Tehran that, in my view, failed to destroy Iran's missile production, failed to dismantle its regional proxies and failed to end the threat to Israel. 

Today he is embracing Erdogan, a man who has called Israel a "terrorist state," claimed its leaders are Nazis engaging in genocide, and threatened to militarily attack it.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should not endorse Trump's embrace of Erdogan with a smiling White House visit. 

If he goes to Washington after this decision, he risks looking weak. 

Israel needs an Israel First doctrine. That means recognizing that no foreign leader — not even an American president — can be trusted to place Jewish survival above political convenience. 

It means Israel must reserve full freedom of action against Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and every enemy that seeks Jewish destruction.

Some of the measures I have advocated are serious because the threats Israel faces are severe. 

Iran's regime, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other enemies do not seek compromise. They seek annihilation. 

These very same groups also seek to destroy the U.S.

A self-respecting Jewish government must respond not with pleading, but with deterrence, sovereignty and force.

Trump's defenders will say this is diplomacy. 

They will say Turkey is too important to alienate. They will say Erdogan can be managed. 

We have heard all of this before. The Jewish people have paid the price too many times for trusting foreign assurances.

The truth is simpler: Trump is rewarding Erdogan despite Turkey's refusal to help America against Iran and despite Trump's own admission that Turkey may have leaned toward Iran. 

He is doing so while pressuring Israel to accept ceasefires, restraint and humiliation.

That is not friendship. That is betrayal.

Israel must now judge Trump by his actions, not his speeches. 

And his actions in Ankara tell us everything we need to know.

Jonathan Pollard is an Israeli citizen who is Co-President of the Israeli First Movement and advises several technology start-up businesses.