Ankara responds to Israeli accusations against Erdoğan

ANKARA

A spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Ministry has responded to recent statements made by Israeli officials against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accusing them of attempting to shift the focus away from their country's actions in Gaza.

"Israel is a state currently on trial for charges of genocide before the International Court of Justice. No party other than the Israeli government is responsible for the crimes committed against the Palestinian people in Gaza," Öncü Keçeli said in a written statement on March 9.

The exchange began when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Erdoğan's statements regarding the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Erdoğan, during a speech in Istanbul last week, said Ankara "firmly backs" Hamas. "No one can make us qualify Hamas as a terrorist organization. Türkiye is a country that speaks openly with Hamas leaders and firmly backs them," he stated.

The president has previously referred to Israel as a "terrorist state" and accused it of conducting a "genocide" in Gaza. On March 9, Erdoğan claimed that Netanyahu and his administration, "with their crimes against humanity in Gaza, are writing their names next to Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin, like today’s Nazis."

In response to the Israeli criticism, Keçeli emphasized, "Members of the Israeli government who aim to construct a false narrative cannot veil these facts. Human conscience and international law will hold Israeli officials to account."