Israel “will not be subject to moral preaching from” the Turkish president, says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
By David Isaac, JNS
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday compared Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to Nazi Germany.
“Netanyahu and his administration, with their crimes against humanity in Gaza, are writing their names next to Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin, like today’s Nazis,” he said.
Netanyahu “continues to commit massacres against the Palestinian people,” he said, adding that Turkey would do “what is necessary to hold Israeli officials accountable.”
Erdoğan also placed his country firmly on the side of Hamas, which he denied was a terrorist organization.
“Hamas is not a terrorist organization, but rather a resistance, and we stand firmly behind them and [are]in constant contact with its leaders,” he said. “We cannot be coerced into designating Hamas as a terrorist organization. We communicate with them openly and stand behind them.”
Netanyahu blasted the Turkish leader over the remarks, saying, “Israel observes the laws of war and will not be subject to moral preaching from Erdoğan, who supports [the]murderers and rapists of the Hamas terrorist organization, denies the Armenian genocide, massacres Kurds in his own country and cracks down on regime opponents and journalists.”
Erdoğan has made a habit of comparing Netanyahu and Israel to Hitler and the Nazis. In December, the Turkish President said Netanyahu is “no different” than Hitler.
“What is the difference between them and Hitler? They will make us miss Hitler even more,” he said.
During the 2014 Israel-Hamas war (“Operation Protective Edge”), Erdoğan said Jerusalem was “keeping Hitler’s spirit alive.”
In November, Erdoğan told his country’s parliament last month that Israel would soon be destroyed.
“Right now, I am openly saying with a clear conscience that Israel is a terrorist state,” he said.
“Hey Israel: You have an atomic bomb, a nuclear bomb. And you are making threats with this. We know this. And your end is near,” said Erdoğan.
“You can have as many nuclear bombs as you want, but you’re on your way out,” he added.
Turkish lawmakers responded to the message with a thunderous standing ovation.
Israel-Turkish relations went through a long cold spell, mainly due to Erdoğan’s hostile reaction to the 2008 Gaza war and the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla.
Relations thawed in 2022 and the countries agreed to restore full diplomatic relations.
With the eruption of Israel’s current war, ties have again have frayed and Israel felt compelled in October to recall its diplomats over the Turkish government’s “increasingly harsh statements.”