Israel Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who earned notoriety for supporting the murder of Palestinian mothers, has urged the international community to undermine a likely Turkish military operation to the east of the Euphrates in Syria against the PKK-affiliated People's Protection Units (YPG).
"I hope that they will win in their battle against the Turks. I hope that the international community will prevent [President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] from massacring the Kurds," Shaked told to the Jerusalem Post on Sunday, propagating against a Turkish operation that is intended to clear YPG terrorists from northern Syria.
The YPG is an extension of the PKK terrorist group, which has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people in its 30-year-long terror campaign against Turkey. In a bid to eliminate terrorist elements near its borders and preserve its national security, Ankara announced a cross-border operation to the east of the Euphrates. Turkey has long underscored that the YPG does not represent the Kurdish people but in fact commits numerous atrocities and human rights violations against the local population, including Syrian Kurds, as documented by many human rights organizations.
In response to the Israeli minister's remarks, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül said yesterday that Turkey's determination to fight terrorism has disturbed Israel. "We are not surprised that they are lamenting for a terrorist group," he said.
It is not the first time that Shaked has made provocative remarks. In 2014, she posted a quotation labeling all Palestinians as terrorist snakes while wishing death to all Palestinians mothers on her Facebook page. Her comment translated to a call for genocide against the Palestinian people and was condemned by the international community.
During the Israeli military Operation Protective Edge that hit Gaza last summer, killing more than 2,500 civilians, she shared the following: "[Mothers] should follow their sons; nothing would be more just than that. They should go, as should the physical homes in which they raised the snakes. Otherwise, more little snakes will be raised there. They have to die and their houses should be demolished so that they cannot bear any more terrorists. They are all our enemies and their blood should be on our hands."
Accused of fraud at home, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday attacked Erdoğan over Ankara's counterterrorism operations and the Cyprus issue.
In response, Erdoğan said that Netanyahu is unhappy with Ankara for helping Palestinian victims and strives to attack Turkey with "vile insults and slander."
Israeli media reports said that the Israeli State Prosecutor's Office has recommended the indictment of Netanyahu on alleged bribery charges in two separate corruption cases. Netanyahu will also likely be charged for breach of trust in a third corruption probe.
