JERUSALEM – One of the immutable facts about the Middle East is if someone were going to say something extreme, it’s more than likely it would be Turkey’s in everything but name Caliph, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, doing it. And so it proved again late Sunday, as Turkey’s president appeared to openly threaten Israel with invasion in support of the Palestinians.
Turkey must be “very strong so Israel can’t do these things to the Palestinians,” the Turkish leader said of the war with Hamas, now deep into its tenth month.
“Just as we entered [Nagorno-]Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we might do the same to them. There is nothing we can’t do. We must only be strong.”
Nagorno-Karabakh is an area of Azerbaijan, which until 2023 was inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians. Turkey provided material support – both logistics and drones – on the side of the Azerbaijanis, determined to drive the Armenians out. It must be noted the Turks have an infamous and disgraceful history with regard to ethnic Armenians – notoriously in the 1915-1916 Armenian Genocide in which approximately 600-000-1.5 million people were killed.
Erdogan’s speech at a party meeting in Rize opened the floodgates for other political figures in Turkey – a country within the NATO alliance – to openly criticize Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, comparing the Jewish state’s leader with Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, as well as misappropriating Turkey’s colonial past to suggest defense of Muslims.
Turkey’s president, who has permitted Hamas leaders and operatives to act freely within his country – amid rumors it could replace Qatar as the group’s main benefactor – has been a fierce critic of Israel’s defensive war against Hamas following the Oct. 7 atrocities.
In years past, Erdogan had a seemingly cordial relationship with both Israel in general and Netanyahu in particular. However, as he has led his country in a decidedly more Islamist direction and away from its more secular roots – and especially since the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, in which IDF commandos boarded the ship as it attempted to block Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza – Turkey’s relationship with Israel has become extremely strained.
A brief thaw occurred in September 2023, when Turkey hosted both Netanyahu and Israel’s President Isaac Herzog at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Despite the diplomatic and economic strife between the two countries, Israel sent hundreds of people in specialist rescue teams to Turkey in the wake of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which devastated central parts of the country, taking thousands of lives. Erdogan even acknowledged Israel’s help in attempting to find survivors among the rubble.
Numan Kurtulmuş, speaker of Turkey’s National Assembly and someone who boasts nearly 3 million followers on X said, “The ugly post of the Israeli Foreign Minister shows they resorted to irrational behavior out of fear, seeing the massacres they committed were condemned both in international courts and in the conscience of humanity.”
“These immoralities will never deter Turkey and our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who act together with the humanitarian front.”
“Both the history of the Turks and the past of the Muslims are clear. Just as we stood for the oppressed and against the oppressors in the past, we will not compromise our stance in the future.”
“Until the Palestinians are free!”
İsrail Dışişleri Bakanı’nın çirkin paylaşımı, yaptıkları katliamların hem uluslararası mahkemelerde hem de insanlığın vicdanında mahkum olduğunu görerek, kapıldıkları korkuyla akıl dışı davranışlara başvurduklarını göstermektedir.
Bu ahlaksızlıkları, insanlık cephesiyle…
— Numan Kurtulmuş (@NumanKurtulmus) July 29, 2024
This was in response to Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who posted on X that Erdogan would go the same way as former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. “He [Hussein] threatened Israel, and look how that ended up,” Katz warned.
ארדואן הולך בדרכו של סדאם חוסיין ומאיים לתקוף את ישראל. רק שיזכור מה קרה שם ואיך זה הסתיים.@RTErdogan pic.twitter.com/6GykLtLoh4
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) July 28, 2024
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry likened Netanyahu to Hitler, and said the Israeli leader’s demise would be akin to the German dictator’s denouement. A statement on X said, “Just as genocidal Hitler ended, so will genocidal Netanyahu.”
“Just as the genocidal Nazis were held accountable, those who tried to destroy the Palestinians will also be held accountable.”
“Humanity will stand with the Palestinians.”
“You will not destroy the Palestinians.”
Soykırımcı Hitler’in sonu nasıl olduysa, soykırımcı Netanyahu’nun sonu da öyle olacak.
Soykırımcı Naziler nasıl hesap verdiyse, Filistinlileri yok etmeye çalışanlar da öyle hesap verecek.
İnsanlık, Filistinlilerin yanında duracak.
Filistinlileri yok edemeyeceksiniz.
— T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı (@TC_Disisleri) July 28, 2024
Israel’s Opposition Leader Yair Lapid pointed out “Erdogan is ranting and raving again. He is a danger to the Middle East … We won’t accept threats from a wannabe dictator.”
President Erdogan is ranting and raving again. He is a danger to the Middle East.
The world, and especially NATO members, must strongly condemn his outrageous threats against Israel and force him to end his support for Hamas.
We won’t accept threats from a wannabe dictator.
— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) July 28, 2024
Geert Wilders, chairman of the Netherlands Freedom Party (PVV) labeled Erdogan an “Isalmofascist” and called for Turkey to be expelled from NATO.
Islamofascist Erdogan threatens to invade Israel.
This guy is totally nuts.
Turkey should be kicked out of NATO. https://t.co/pYXHNi9XQ8
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) July 28, 2024
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