Türkiye on Sunday hit out at Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar for what it said were “outrageous” remarks.
“We categorically reject the outrageous statement made by the Foreign Minister of the Netanyahu government,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.
In a post written in Turkish on X, Saar on Sunday accused Erdoğan of being “anti-Semitic” and a “threat for the region,” urging NATO allies to “notice this fact at once.”
“These disrespectful and baseless allegations are part of an effort to cover up the crimes committed by Netanyahu and his associates,” the Turkish ministry said.
Ankara has been a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and a harsh critic of Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip, which it and others say amount to genocide.
Erdogan has branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “Butcher of Gaza” and his government suspended trade with Israel last year.
The ministry said Saar’s remarks heightened its “concern that Israel will accelerate its genocidal policies in Gaza and intensify its actions aimed at destabilizing other countries in the region.”
“The propaganda efforts of Israeli officials will never undermine Türkiye's unwavering commitment to speaking the truth,” it said and added: “We will continue to stand by the innocent civilians targeted by Israel and to defend their rights.”
Saar’s remarks drew backlash from other Turkish officials, too.
Communications Director Fahrettin Altun on Monday condemned Sara’s comments, saying he “better keep his despicable ‘hasbara’ to himself.”
“The Israeli propaganda machine charges anyone critical of their genocidal policies with antisemitism. They scare Western media outlets into complying with and creating consent for their ethnic cleansing efforts in Palestine. They may succeed to some extent, but the international public knows the truth,” he wrote in his response on X.
He said Erdoğan has “condemned hate in all its forms – be it antisemitism, racism, xenophobia, or Islamophobia” that there were “very few leaders who can claim to be consistent on all these fronts.”
“If the Israeli government wants us to stop calling out their policies, the solution is simple: stop the genocide, bloodshed, and occupation. The injustices and war crimes they are committing will not serve as the foundation of a stable Israeli nation. Nor will they allow the Middle East to emerge as a stable, peaceful, and prosperous region,” Altun wrote.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz argued the Israeli minister’s remarks were “due to the fear they have over the truth being expressed loudly.”
“Our civilization has never been anti-Semitic. Those seeking anti-Semitism should look into European history. Rejecting Netanyahu government’s policies of occupation, genocide and ethnic cleansing is not anti-Semitism,” Yılmaz said in a post on X on Monday.
Türkiye will continue fighting for the “righteous” cause of the Palestinian people on the basis of a two-state solution and the shared values of humanity, Yılmaz said.
“They want the world to remain silent while children are being murdered, while an entire people are being destroyed and driven out of their homeland,” Yılmaz said. “’The Alliance of Humanity,’ including Jews who reject this violence, will defeat their ugly propaganda and justice will be served.”
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç similarly rejected Saar’s statement as “unacceptable.”
“Israeli officials who have committed the crime of genocide by massacring more than 50,000 innocent people in Gaza and are subjected to arrest warrants by international courts, cannot cover up their crimes against humanity with their shameful remarks,” Tunç said.
Meanwhile, Ömer Çelik, the spokesperson of Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), said Saar’s remarks about Erdoğan were “null and void.”
“President Erdogan has been the loudest voice in the frontlines of humanity against this network of massacres, that is why they are targeting our president,” he said.
