Erdoğan says Israeli prime minister has ‘blood’ on his hands

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on May 15 accused Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of having the “blood of Palestinians on his hands” following indiscriminate killings by Israeli forces in the besieged Gaza Strip.

“Netanyahu is the prime minister of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenseless people’s lands for 60 years in violation of United Nations resolutions,” Erdoğan tweeted.

“He has the blood of Palestinians on his hands and can’t cover up crimes by attacking Turkey. Want a lesson in humanity? Read the 10 commandments,” he added.

In a response statement, Netanyahu said that “Erdoğan is among Hamas’s biggest supporters and there is no doubt that he well understands terrorism and slaughter. I suggest that he not preach morality to us.”

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 61 Palestinian demonstrators have been killed by crossborder Israeli gunfire in one of the deadliest single-day massacres in the country’s history.

Thousands of Palestinians have gathered on Gaza Strip’s eastern border since the morning of May 14 to take part in protests aimed to commemorate the anniversary of the “Nakba” and to protest the relocation of the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Since the border rallies began on March 30, more than 100 Palestinian demonstrators have been killed by crossborder Israeli gunfire, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The rallies culminated on May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel’s establishment—an event Palestinians refer to as the “Nakba” or the “Catastrophe.”

Last week, the Israeli government said the ongoing border protests constituted a “state of war” in which international humanitarian law did not apply.