Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slams Netanyahu in an extraordinary tirade on Wednesday, accusing him of “surpassing even Hitler” in crimes against humanity, and warning Israel not to provoke Turkey. His comments, made during a speech to his parliamentary party, drew sharp criticism for both their inflammatory nature and selective framing of current Middle East tensions.
Erdoğan described Israel’s recent airstrikes on Iranian targets as “state terrorism” and called Iran’s retaliatory strikes “legitimate defence”. He accused Israel of acting with impunity, asserting it had become “a rogue state with nuclear weapons”- while ignoring Tehran’s own violations of international nuclear agreements.
The Turkish president failed to acknowledge that Iran has long been under suspicion for enriching uranium beyond the limits of the defunct JCPOA agreement, and that Tehran recently refused to sign a proposed US-drafted deal to restrict its nuclear ambitions. Israel, by contrast, has never confirmed or denied its nuclear capabilities and is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty- a fact often exploited by critics, but not unique in the region.
Despite these omissions, Erdoğan portrayed Turkey as a force for peace and deterrence, claiming Ankara seeks only stability in the Middle East. He vowed to increase Turkey’s military readiness to ensure “no one dares test our patience” and stressed his country’s right to respond to any aggression.
Critics noted the irony of Erdoğan invoking international law while defending Iran’s actions- a country that has been sanctioned repeatedly for its nuclear secrecy- and while his own government faces accusations of democratic backsliding, repression of dissent, and occupation of Northern Cyprus.
In the wider Mediterranean region, where Ankara’s assertiveness is frequently watched with concern, Erdoğan’s remarks are likely to be viewed not as statesmanship, but as grandstanding- designed to bolster his image as a champion of the Muslim world while deflecting attention from his own inconsistencies.
Also read: Netanyahu to Erdoğan: ‘Ottoman Empire won’t return’
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