President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated criticism of Israel in a joint news conference with his German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Friday, as he repeated his call for an urgent cease-fire to end the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza as Israel continues to target hospitals and civilian infrastructure amid an ongoing telecommunications blackout and fuel shortages.
Erdoğan said that attacks on children and hospitals have no place in the Jewish holy book.
"Shooting hospitals or killing children does not exist in the Torah, you can't do it," the president said. He continued by saying that Israel killed thousands of Palestinians, including women, children and the elderly.
"Does Israel target hospitals, houses of worship and churches? Yes, it does. I, as a Muslim, am disturbed by this," he said, as he criticized Western Christian leaders for failing to condemn attacks on churches.
He said that while Germany is indebted to the Jews for the Holocaust, Türkiye has never wronged them and does not owe anything to them, therefore the country can freely voice its concerns and criticisms about Israel's human rights violations.
The president also highlighted the need for an immediate cease-fire.
"Türkiye and Germany should work toward ensuring a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. This is the only way to prevent the spillover of crisis in the region," he said, noting that everyone should prioritize cease-fire and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to the destitute in the devastated Gaza Strip.
Erdoğan also highlighted the need for a two-state solution, saying that the current situation has proven that it is "inevitable" for peace.
"As Türkiye, our goal is to facilitate an atmosphere in which Palestina and Israel peacefully coexist," he said.
For his part, Scholz said every effort should be made to reduce the number of civilian victims in Gaza, but he reiterated Germany's full support to Israel, which is currently carrying out a massacre, killing at least 12,000 people, many of them women and children.
In response to a journalist's question about whether Germany would support legal action against Israel's ongoing war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, Scholz said Israel's "right to self-defense must not be called into question."
Scholz traveled to Israel to offer Germany's unconditional and unwavering support after the Oct. 7 attacks.
Erdoğan also met with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin, where they discussed Israel's attacks on Gaza as well as relations between Ankara and Berlin.
Meeting at the Bellevue Palace, Steinmeier's official residence, Erdoğan said, "Israel's attacks on Palestinian lands must cease and the global response to (Israel's) human rights violations is essential," according to a statement by the Presidential Communications Directorate.
"A cease-fire should be established immediately in the region, humanitarian aid should be delivered, as humanity loses every day that the bloodshed continues," added Erdoğan, who is paying a one-day working visit to Berlin.
"In addition to collaborating to ensure a cease-fire in the region and the prompt delivery of humanitarian aid, the two leaders agreed that the two-state structure is the only solution for permanent peace," the statement stressed.
The meeting was also attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, and other top Turkish officials.
It comes at a crucial time for the Israel-Palestine conflict, as Erdoğan and protesters worldwide voice growing anger and frustration at the lack of a stronger response to what they call humanitarian violations and even war crimes by Israel.
As Israel has raided hospitals in recent days and shows no signs of letting up its attacks, any chance of reaching a cease-fire will require stronger pressure and a more unified international response.
