Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to invade Israel on Sunday (local time) as planned talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan failed. Erdogan has attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him a “Hitler” who is blinded by “blood and hatred”.
According to Israel Hayom, Erdogan said that if negotiations between Washington and Tehran do not take place, Ankara will “show Israel its place.” At a political event in Turkiye, he said: “On the day of the cease-fire, Israel killed hundreds of innocent Lebanese. Netanyahu is blinded by blood and hatred. If Pakistan had not been a mediator in the US-Iran war, we would have shown Israel its place,” Erdogan said in a speech at a political event in Turkey.
He continued: “Just as we entered Libya and Karabakh, we can enter Israel. There is no reason not to. It will take strength and unity.”
Netanyahu criticizes Erdogan
His words came a day after Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the Turkish president, adding that he was persecuting the Kurds in the eastern part of the country. In a post on X, Netanyahu wrote: “Israel under my leadership will continue to fight the Iranian terrorist regime and its proxies, unlike Erdogan who is accommodating them and massacring his own Kurdish citizens.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also leveled accusations against Turkiye, accusing them of anti-Semitism and false trials against Israel’s political and military leadership.
Turkiye strikes back
In a sharply worded criticism, the Turkish Foreign Ministry called Netanyahu the “Hitler” of our time because of the crimes he committed. He added that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has also issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The statement added: “Under the Netanyahu administration, Israel faces trial at the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide. Netanyahu’s current goal is to undermine the ongoing peace talks and continue his expansionist policies in the region. If he does not, he risks being tried in his own country and possibly sentenced to prison terms.”
The fact that our president is being targeted by Israeli officials with baseless, brazen and false accusations is a result of the discomfort caused by the truths we have consistently proclaimed on all platforms.”
Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus also attacked Netanyahu, calling him “the leading terrorist of the 21st century”.
Peace talks between the US and Iran have failed
The development comes at a time when peace talks between the US and Iranian delegations held in Pakistan’s Islamabad have failed. The talks, held on April 10, nearly three days after the two-week ceasefire was announced, continued for over 9 p.m. However, no agreement was reached. Both the Iranian and US delegations, led by Vice President JD Vance, blamed each other for the failed negotiations, and reports added that the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s nuclear program remained bone of contention.
What remains to be seen is whether the two sides will reconvene for another round of negotiations while the ceasefire is in place, and whether Israel will stop attacking Lebanon to ensure that the Tehran-Washington ceasefire agreement remains in place.
