President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s fiery address at the United Nations General Assembly this week was a stark warning to the international community to uphold humanitarian values and take action over the ongoing genocide in Gaza, according to a security analyst.
In a nearly 40-minute speech, Erdoğan, a virulent critic of Israel’s attacks and a staunch support of the Palestinian cause, repeatedly stressed the human toll of the war, the destruction of infrastructure, and attacks on civilians and journalists.
Gaza “is not a war zone,” but rather a place where “on one side stands an army, and on the other, innocent civilians being massacred,” he said. He slammed Israel for carrying out a policy of “mass extermination,” stressing that humanity had not witnessed such brutality in the past century.
Palestinians are being killed by “the weapon of hunger,” Erdoğan said. “Can such cruelty truly be justified by any reasonable cause?” he asked, holding up photographs of malnourished and wounded Palestinian children.
Erdoğan also questioned the U.N.’s effectiveness, saying the world body’s credibility was overshadowed by “grave events” around the world, like the Gaza war.
Erdoğan’s speech represents a broader interpretation of the concept of a “responsible state” in modern international affairs, Murat Aslan, a security analyst at the Turkish think-tank Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), told Daily Sabah.
“Traditionally, a responsible state intervenes in humanitarian crises with both aid and military authority granted by the Security Council,” Aslan said. “Erdoğan’s address suggests a new framework: even when formal authorization is absent, states have a responsibility to act through humanitarian aid, legal initiatives, diplomatic efforts, and, where possible, coercive measures.”
Aslan emphasized that Erdoğan’s speech is more than a call for immediate relief. “It is a critique of global inertia and the gap between international law and actual political practice. By framing Gaza as a test of conscience for the world, Erdoğan is reminding states of their duty to uphold humanitarian values and protect human life above narrow national interests,” he said.
According to Aslan, Erdoğan’s remarks also reflect Türkiye’s broader foreign policy approach, which seeks to place humanitarian concerns at the center of international debate.
“Erdoğan’s speech reframes the concept of a responsible state for the 21st century,” Aslan said. “It suggests that responsibility is not only about formal authority or military power. It is about ensuring legal accountability, providing humanitarian assistance, exerting diplomatic pressure and taking action wherever possible to protect the vulnerable.”
Around the same time as Erdoğan’s U.N. address, Devlet Bahçeli, chair of government's ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), issued a stark warning to Israel. Bahçeli labeled Israel as the region’s greatest security threat and accused it of exploiting groups hostile to Türkiye.
“Israel appears to have launched a proxy war in this region directed against Türkiye,” Bahçeli said. “Israel’s presence in Syria, the eastern Mediterranean, and Cyprus demonstrates that its reach is broad. Its ultimate target appears to be Türkiye, and a policy of encirclement is evident. Taken together with the genocide and injustices Israel is committing, this situation is unsustainable for us. If Israel does not abandon this expansionist posture, a response under international law appears inevitable.”
Bahçeli stressed that while Ankara prioritizes diplomacy for resolving the Palestine-Israel conflict and ensuring humanitarian access to Gaza, the government has escalated its rhetoric as civilian deaths continue to mount. He underscored that both he and Erdoğan have been increasingly vocal about Israel’s policies since the latest wave of attacks began two years ago, warning that Israel may eventually target Türkiye and calling for a fortified “home front.”
“From the very beginning, Türkiye pursued a careful, pragmatic policy aimed at persuading Israel to end the oppression, supporting the Palestinian people and achieving a lasting peace with a two-state solution,” Bahçeli said.
He added that countries that openly or covertly support Israel, particularly the United States, must cease making statements that leave Israel room to maneuver. “The shame of the 21st century, policies that erase every humane and moral sense toward babies, women and the elderly, must end now,” Bahçeli said.
