The Turkish president also accused the West of complicity in Netanyahu’s “vampirism”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference in Ankara, Türkiye, April 24, 2024 © AFP / Adem Altan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged the Islamic world to make a “common decision” to oppose Israel, calling the Jewish state a threat to “all of humanity.”
“I have some words to say to the Islamic world: What are you waiting for to take a common decision?” he said in a speech to lawmakers from his AKP party on Wednesday.
“Israel is not just a threat to Gaza but to all of humanity. No state is safe as long as Israel does not follow international law and does not feel bound by international law,” he continued, before accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing “genocide.”
Erdogan’s remarks came days after Israeli forces bombed a refugee camp in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, killing 45 people. The airstrike, which was carried out less than a week after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to cease military operations in the city, triggered a wave of international condemnation and was described by Netanyahu as a “tragic mistake.”
“No ideology sees the burning to death of innocent civilians in their tents as legitimate,” Erdogan said. “The world is watching the barbarism of this vampire called Netanyahu live.”
The Turkish president also condemned his NATO allies, declaring: “America, this blood is also on your hands. Heads of the states in Europe, you have become complicit in Israel’s vampirism because you remained silent.”
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Washington did not consider the strike a grave enough incident to warrant halting weapons shipments to Israel.
Erdogan did not specify what “common decision” the Islamic world should come to against Israel. The Turkish leader has repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions since the war with Hamas began in October, comparing Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler on numerous occasions and offering verbal support to Hamas leadership. However, he has never threatened to use force against Israel, choosing diplomatic and economic measures instead.
Türkiye recalled its ambassador to Israel in November for consultations and suspended flights between the two countries. Last month, Ankara suspended all trade with Israel, with a government document stating that business between the two states would only resume as normal if Netanyahu allowed continued and sufficient humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.
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The Israeli government has issued several scathing condemnations of Erdogan in response. In a social media post in March, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz argued that Erdogan’s support for Hamas made him one “of the greatest oppressors and anti-Semites in history.”
