Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan escalated his criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, drawing parallels between Netanyahu and Adolf Hitler while condemning Israel's actions in Gaza.
Erdogan accused Israel of committing war crimes and stated that the West's support for Israel made them complicit in the conflict.
In a bold statement, Erdogan said, "They used to speak ill of Hitler. What difference do you have from Hitler? Is what this Netanyahu is doing any less than what Hitler did? It is not."
He further criticised the Western support for Israel, stating that Netanyahu, unlike Hitler, receives backing from the West, particularly the United States.
Netanyahu swiftly responded to Erdogan's comments, asserting that Erdogan was the last person to lecture Israel on morality. The Israeli Prime Minister accused Erdogan of committing genocide against the Kurds and holding a world record for imprisoning journalists critical of his rule.
The verbal exchange comes amid Turkey's strong criticism of Israel's recent air and ground assault on Gaza, with Erdogan previously labeling Israel a "terror state" and calling for its leaders to be tried in international courts. Despite the condemnation, Turkey has maintained commercial ties with Israel, leading to backlash from opposition parties and neighboring Iran.
Erdogan's remarks also included an invitation to academics and scientists facing persecution for their views on the Gaza conflict to seek refuge in Turkey. The Turkish president insisted that Western countries supporting Israel were complicit in what he termed as war crimes.
