Netanyahu Lashes Out At Turkish President Erdogan After Hitler Comparison
Topline
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan of genocide in a tweet on Wednesday, a post made in response to public remarks made by Erdogan in which he said Netanyahu was no different from Adolf Hitler and referenced the country’s war against Hamas that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Gazans.
Key Facts
Erdogan, who was making a speech at a science awards ceremony in Ankara on Wednesday, said Netanyahu’s role in Israel’s war with Hamas was comparable to Hitler, the infamous Nazi dictator who orchestrated a genocide against millions of Jewish people in the 1940s.
Erdogan said Israel has killed more than 20,000 Gazans, a number reported by the Hamas-Run health ministry, and claimed Netanyahu was richer than Hitler, citing support Israel receives from the United States—Israel’s longtime ally which has supplied the country with $320 million worth of weapons and is moving toward approving a $14.3 billion aid package for it.
Netanyahu responded in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Erdogan is committing genocide against Kurdish people—a reference to Turkey’s long-running war with a Kurd militant group that has culminated in more than 40,000 deaths, many of which have been civilians, according to Reuters.
Netanyahu also accused Erdogan of holding “the world record for imprisoning journalists who oppose his regime” and said the Israel Defense Forces is the “most moral army in the world.”
Big Number
2 million. That’s the number of Gazans displaced by the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to UN estimates.
Key Background
Turkey’s commercial ties with Israel have continued despite Erdogan’s criticism of the country, according to Reuters, which reported that trade between both countries has fallen since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched an attack against Israel that killed about 1,200 Israelis. Israel said in late October it was recalling diplomats from Turkey following comments from Erdogan in which he said he was preparing to consider Israel a “war criminal” due to its attacks in the Gaza Strip, the Associated Press reported. Turkey recalled ambassador Sakir Ozkan Torunlar from Israel last month over the continuing conflict, making Ozkan one of several international ambassadors to do so.
Further Reading
U.N. Security Council Passes Resolution Urging Gaza Aid—Avoiding U.S. Veto (Forbes)
Turkey’s Erdogan says Israeli PM Netanyahu no different from Hitler (Reuters)
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