President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's recent statements regarding Israel's war crimes against Palestinians have triggered outbursts of anger from Zionist politicians. They have reiterated their sole rhetoric, the "anti-Semitic" accusation.
However, this time their efforts are futile. The day after the "Grand Palestine Rally" in Istanbul, International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Kerim Khan officially announced the launch of a war crimes investigation with a statement made at the Rafah border crossing.
The groundlessness of the anti-Semitism claim is evident, as demonstrated by the candid conversation between Türkiye's Chief Rabbi Isak Haleva, who had participated in Republic Day celebrations on Sunday, and President Erdoğan. But, let me go further and remind you of some key facts regarding the issue.
Despite Türkiye being a predominantly Muslim country, the Erdoğan government has returned the foundation properties that were seized by the state from Jews, Syriacs, Greeks and Armenians during the founding of the republic.
The ceremony for the International Holocaust Remembrance Day was conducted for the first time in the capital, Ankara, and one of the speakers at the event was Cemil Çiçek, former speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM). Furthermore, former Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu participated in the 70th-anniversary commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz in Poland.
The restoration of the historic Grand Edirne Synagogue, which stands as the largest in Europe, was successfully completed after an investment of TL 750,000 ($26,520) over five years. Former Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç attended the opening ceremony.
The victims of the Struma disaster were officially remembered for the first time in 2015 with an official ceremony. Former Minister of Culture Ömer Çelik, who took part in the commemoration, emphasized, "This is not only the pain of the Jewish community but a shared sorrow for all of us."
The Struma tragedy marks an event where a Soviet submarine in the Black Sea torpedoed a ship carrying Jewish refugees, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives.
According to "Taboo-breaking 2015," a piece published by Şalom, which is Türkiye's top-selling newspaper within the Jewish community, the first official commemoration of the Struma ship's sinking and the tragic killing of its Jewish passengers, which took place during the Republican People's Party (CHP) rule, was held during President Erdoğan's administration.
For the first time, Turkish Jews celebrated Hanukkah in a public space, Ortaköy Square, with representatives from all three major religions joining together to light the candles.
All the prominent figures attending these ceremonies were senior representatives of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which the international press often associates with an "Islamist supporter" label.
You may be angry about President Erdoğan being the leader who woke you up from your Zionist/Evangelical dreams.
However, do not forget that the country you falsely accuse has dealt the heaviest hit to Daesh with its own army, and for 20 years, it has protected all minorities in the country without discrimination. Face the fact that under Erdoğan's leadership, Türkiye was the first country to make Israel apologize and will be the country that will report Israel to the ICC and closely monitor the process.
Even the mud of the anti-Semitism accusation you throw at Türkiye and President Erdoğan won't stick to us.
