Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that Turkey will continue to support Palestinian Arabs with “all its strength and means” until Palestine is “fully liberated,” according to the Xinhua news agency.
Erdogan emphasized, “What Turkey is doing for Palestine, Gaza, and Lebanon is far greater than what is visible,” during a press conference following a cabinet meeting.
He added, “For 14 months, a highly bloody and extremely dangerous war has been ongoing right next to Turkey, despite some individuals’ insistence on ignoring it.”
The Turkish president explained that Turkey has been actively urging international organizations, especially the United Nations, to implement “coercive measures to stop Israeli aggression,” which he argued has now spread to Syria and other regions.
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Erdogan has significantly intensified his criticism of Israel, despite the fact that Turkey and Israel had been moving toward reconciliation before the attack.
In one of his speeches, Erdogan accused Israeli Prime Minister Bibi 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.”
Earlier this year, Erdogan even suggested military action against Israel, stating, “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.”
He continued his rhetoric by accusing Israel of “committing acts of barbarism” and stating that “Gaza has become the world’s largest concentration camp.”
On Saturday, Erdogan also praised the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“We support the arrest warrant. We consider it important that this courageous decision be carried out by all country members of the accord to renew the trust of humanity in the international system,” Erdogan declared in a speech in Istanbul.
The Turkish president also urged, “It is imperative that western countries — who for years have given the world lessons on law, justice and human rights — keep their promises at this stage.”
{Matzav.com}