Turkish President labels Israel ‘a terrorist state’, PM Netanyahu responds

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan labelled Israel as a ‘terrorist state’ in a recent address to his ruling party. He said “Israel is implementing a strategy of total annihilation of a city and its people. I say very clearly and frankly that Israel is a terrorist state.,” as per media reports. 

Israel a terrorist state: President Erdogan 

According to media reports, Erdogan also promised to take necessary measures to bring the political and military leaders of Israel to the international court and conduct a trial. Erdogan said, “We will take steps to ensure that Israel’s political and military leaders who brutally murdered the oppressed people of Gaza will face trial in international courts.” 

"I am telling Netanyahu, you have atomic bombs, nuclear bombs and you are threatening with them. We know this. And your end is near. You can have as many nuclear bombs as you want. No matter what you have, you are on your way out," he further added. 

PM Netanyahu responds 

These remarks by President Erdogan were not received well by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyu who retaliated against the Turkish President. 

Taking to social media platform X, PM Netanyahu accused Erdogan of supporting the “terror state of Hamas” 
 

אני לא אקבל הטפות מוסר מארדואן. pic.twitter.com/jPxZl6ZmAu

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) November 15, 2023

He added “By contrast, there are forces that support the terrorists. One of them is President Erdogan of Turkey, who calls Israel a terrorist state, but supports the terror state of Hamas and bombed Turkish villages inside Turkey itself. So, we're not going to get any lectures from them."

President Erdogan on Gaza War 

Earlier in October Erdogan called his plan to visit Israel after the Hamas attack of October 7. 

Commenting on his cancellation of the trip he said “Turkey has no problem with the Israeli state; however, Ankara would never approve of Tel Aviv committing atrocities.” 

Erdogan also lashed out at the Western Countries for labelling Hamas as a terrorist group and said that the Palestinian militant group is “not a terrorist organisation but a liberation group that struggles to protect its lands and citizens.”