Tensions between Turkey and Israel have escalated once again, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu trading barbs after Ankara ramped up its criticism of Israeli military actions in Syria and Lebanon.
Hitting back at Erdogan, Netanyahu said there was no need for Israel to be lectured on moral issues by the Turkish leader. He also accused Erdogan of hypocrisy while justifying Israel’s military actions.
Erdogan’s threat
Speaking to members of his AK Party in parliament, Erdogan said Israel’s operations in Syria and Lebanon had gone beyond being a regional issue. According to him, the situation now poses a wider security risk that could directly impact Turkey.
“The attacks by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his network of murder on Lebanon and Syria have brought the issue to a point where it also threatens Turkey,” he said.
As president of NATO ally Turkey, Erdogan has repeatedly criticised Israel’s military actions in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, making him one of the country’s most outspoken detractors. Turkey has gone beyond diplomatic criticism by halting all trade with Israel and calling for its leadership to face international legal scrutiny.
He also pressed world powers to respond more firmly, arguing that Israel had become increasingly confident because of what he called the silence of the international community.
Netanyahu’s reaction
Responding through a statement released on the social media platform X, Netanyahu brushed aside Erdogan’s criticism and took aim at him personally. In his response, Netanyahu called Erdogan an “antisemitic dictator”, accusing him of supporting Hamas and silencing political rivals, and said Israel would not be lectured on morality by Ankara.
In a sharply worded statement, Netanyahu accused Erdogan of oppressing Kurds, supporting Hamas and silencing domestic opposition, saying the Turkish president was the last person who should be lecturing Israel on morality.
“The State of Israel and the IDF, the most moral army in the world, will continue to take forceful action against Iran and its proxies, which threaten the Middle East and the entire world,” the statement added.
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