Türkiye says 'genocidal' Netanyahu will face same end as Hitler

ANKARA

Türkiye's government has issued a condemnation of "genocidal" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, likening him to Adolf Hitler.

"Just as the genocidal Nazis were held accountable, those who seek to destroy the Palestinians will also be held accountable,” said a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement issued early on July 29.

"Just as the end of the genocidal Hitler came, so too will be the end of the genocidal Netanyahu."

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan echoed this sentiment in a post on X, saying “our president [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] has become the voice of humanity’s conscience.”

“Those who seek to silence this just voice, especially international Zionist circles including Israel, are in a state of great panic," he wrote. "History has ended the same way for all genocidal perpetrators and their supporters.”

The statements followed Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz’s response to Erdoğan’s earlier remarks, comparing him to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

"Erdoğan follows in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and threatens to attack Israel. Just let him remember what happened there and how it ended," he said in an X post.

During a speech on July 28, Erdoğan said Türkiye "might enter Israel" as it had done in the past in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, referencing Türkiye’s past interventions.

His remarks came during a speech praising Türkiye's defense industry.

"We must be very strong so that Israel can't do these ridiculous things to Palestine. Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we might do similar to them," Erdoğan said in his hometown of Rize.

"There is no reason why we cannot do this ... We must be strong so that we can take these steps."

In 2020, Türkiye sent military personnel to Libya in support of the country's U.N.-recognized government.

Ankara has denied any direct role in Azerbaijan's military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh but said last year it was using "all means," including military training and modernization, to support its close ally.