Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has maintained his critical stance on Israel, expressing to US President Joe Biden on Thursday that Israel is disinterested in a ceasefire in Gaza, as reported by the Anadolu news agency.
The report mentions Erdogan informed Biden in a phone call that the elimination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh “dealt a heavy blow” to the ceasefire efforts in Gaza.
Erdogan further accused Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s government of consistently demonstrating a lack of interest in a ceasefire and peace, with Netanyahu’s recent speech to the US Congress causing “deep disappointment” in Turkey and globally.
Erdogan claimed that “Israel is working to spread the fire in Gaza to the entire region,” according to his statement.
Before the conflict in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, Turkey was attempting to improve its long-deteriorated relations with Israel.
However, since the conflict began, Erdogan has resumed his frequent verbal attacks on Israel.
In one address, Erdogan accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing “one of the greatest atrocities of this century in Gaza and has already put his name down in history as the butcher of Gaza.”
Last month, Erdogan called on NATO to cease its cooperation with Israel. In response, Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote, “Erdogan declares at the NATO summit that he will not allow NATO to cooperate with Israel.”
“First of all, Erdogan, you decide nothing. Furthermore, a country like Turkey, which supports the murderers and rapists of Hamas and the Iranian axis of evil, should not be a member of NATO,” Katz added. “You disgrace Ataturk’s legacy!”
Earlier this week, Erdogan threatened to invade Israel, declaring, “We must be strong so Israel won’t be able to do these things to the Palestinians. Just as we entered Karabakh and Libya, we will do the same to Israel. There’s nothing left to do, we must be strong.”
In response, Minister Katz wrote on X, “Erdogan is following in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and threatens to attack Israel. He should remember what happened there and how it ended.”
Erdogan continued his critique of Israel, accusing it of committing “acts of barbarism that will outshine and that “Gaza has become the world’s largest concentration camp.”
{Matzav.com}
