Erdoğan calls for global responsibility amid Gaza crisis

BERLIN

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has emphasized the need for collective responsibility to achieve a fair and lasting peace in the Middle East, particularly amid the ongoing Gaza crisis.

“As Türkiye, our aim is to establish a climate where Israelis and Palestinians live side by side in peace, where calm and security prevail. I believe everyone should take responsibility to ensure a fair and lasting peace in the Middle East," Erdoğan said at a joint press conference ahead of dinner with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany in Berlin on Nov. 17.

The discussions between the leaders covered a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from commercial and political matters to military aspects and recent developments between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the ongoing situation between Israel and Hamas.

Erdoğan lashed out at Israel over its air and ground campaign in Gaza, saying, "Shooting hospitals or killing children does not exist in the Torah, you can't do it."

In talks with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier earlier in the day, Erdoğan had said that "Israel's attacks on Palestinian lands must end and that the reaction from the whole world against human rights violations is important," the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

But Scholz voiced backing for Israel's war on Hamas, saying that long-term peace could not be forged in the region unless Hamas lost its ability to launch attacks.

"There is a need to make Israel's self-defence possible and not to call it into question," he said.

Ahead of his trip to Germany, Erdoğan ramped up his criticism against Israel, calling it a "terror state" and saying the West was "trying to exonerate the murderers."

The death toll there has hit 12,000, mostly civilians and including thousands of children, according to Gaza's health ministry.

In Berlin, Erdoğan denied that his attacks against Israel were anti-Semitic, saying that he had "fought against anti-Semitism."

Instead, he suggested that Germany, where anti-Semitism is illegal because of Berlin's historic responsibilities over the Holocaust, was limited in its ability to speak freely about the Israel-Hamas war.

"I speak freely because we do not owe Israel anything. We did not go through the Holocaust," Erdoğan said, suggesting that Germany carried a "psychological debt."

Standing next to Erdoğan, Scholz acknowledged "it is no secret" that both sides viewed the conflict differently.

"That's why in these difficult moments, we need direct talks with each other," he said.

Responding to questions from a German reporter about "concerns within NATO member sparked by his previous statements on Israel," Erdoğan clarified Türkiye's position within NATO, highlighting the country's role as one of the "leading nations."

The president reiterated Türkiye's "impartial approach in its relations with both Ukraine and Russia, emphasizing the need for dialogue."

"Is [Israel] it targeting hospitals, places of worship and churches? It is. This disturbs me as a Muslim. Well, as a Christian, are you not disturbed by the shooting of these churches?" Erdoğan replied.

After the press conference, Erdoğan engaged in bilateral discussions with Scholz, followed by a working dinner between the two delegations.