Turkey has threatened Israel with war: details
14 April 16:10
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ankara could take forceful measures against Israel if necessary, according to "Komersant Ukrainian", citing Reuters.
Speaking in Istanbul at the International Conference of Asian Political Parties, he said: “We must be strong so as not to allow Israel to do this to Palestine… Just as we entered Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we will do the same to them… Nothing prevents us from doing so.”
Erdogan said that Israel had forced 1.2 million Lebanese to leave their homes and called Tel Aviv’s actions in the Gaza Strip “barbaric”: “A bloody web of genocide continues to kill innocent children, women, and civilians, disregarding all human values.” On April 11, the Turkish prosecutor’s office sought a life sentence for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had previously been arrested in absentia on charges of genocide.
Commenting on the situation surrounding Iran, Erdogan stated that the world is entering a period where the law of the strong prevails. At the same time, he emphasized that Ankara has no intention of getting involved in the conflict between Iran, the U.S., and Israel, although it sees attempts to drag it into the conflict. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also criticized Israel. He stated that Israel “cannot exist without an enemy” and is trying to cast Turkey in that role. According to him, this is becoming Israel’s state strategy.
In response, Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu stated that “the hypocritical Erdogan is not impressing anyone with this circus” and called him a “megalomaniac dictator with imperialist ambitions.” According to analyst Yoni Ben-Menachem, there is a broader strategy behind Erdogan’s statements: “Turkey is the new Iran,” which seeks to strengthen its influence in the region and form a new Sunni bloc.
Relations between Ankara and Jerusalem have been deteriorating since the start of the war in Gaza. Turkey and Israel have previously clashed repeatedly over operations in Gaza and during the war in Syria. In 2010, the Israeli army crushed the “Freedom Flotilla” (Free Gaza Movement), which was heading to the Gaza Strip. Nine Turkish and one American activist were killed at that time.
