ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for an alliance of Islamic nations to curb “Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry and Israeli state terrorism,” Israeli broadcaster i24 News reported. Erdogan’s comments came after Palestinian and Turkish officials said a Turkish-American woman protesting West Bank settlement expansion on Friday was killed by Israeli troops.
Speaking at an event held in Istanbul by the Islamic schools association, Erdogan said that “the only measure that will stop Israeli arrogance, banditry and state terrorism is the alliance of Islamic countries,” i24 News reported. He said that Turkey’s recent steps to improve relations with Egypt and Syria have been taken in order to “form a line of solidarity against the growing threat of expansionism,” which he stressed also threatens Lebanon and Syria, the i24 News report said.
Responding to Erdogan’s calls for an alliance of Islamic nations to stop Israel, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the Turkish president continues to throw his country’s people into the fire of hatred and violence “for the sake of his friends in Hamas.” Katz called Erdogan’s claims that Israel wants to conquer countries in the region a “dangerous lie and incitement.” He claimed Israel is defending its borders and citizens from Hamas and the “Shiite axis of evil led by Iran.”
In a post on X, Israel Katz claimed: “@RTErdogan continues to throw the Turkish people into the fire of hatred and violence for the sake of his friends in Hamas. Today, he calls on Islamic nations to form an alliance against Israel, claiming that ‘Israel wants to conquer countries in the region, including Turkey.’ This is a dangerous lie and incitement.”
“Israel is defending its borders and its citizens from the murderers and rapists of Hamas and the Shiite axis of evil led by Iran. Erdogan and the Muslim Brotherhood alliance have been working alongside Iran for years to undermine moderate Arab regimes in the Middle East. Erdogan should shut up and be ashamed,” he added.
In early August, the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the killing of Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in an attack in Tehran and offered its condolences to the Palestinian people. In a statement released on August 10, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said: “We condemn the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, in a heinous attack in Tehran.”
“We express our condolences to the Palestinian people, hundreds of thousands of whom, like Haniyeh, have been martyred in order to live peacefully in their homeland under the roof of their own state,” he added. He accused the Israeli government of lacking the intention to achieve peace. He said the attack was aimed at extending the war in Gaza to a regional level. He also said Turkey would continue to support the “just cause” of the Palestinian people.
In a statement, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said: “The Netanyahu government’s lack of intention to achieve peace has been demonstrated once again. This attack also aims to extend the war in Gaza regionally. If the international community does not act to stop Israel, our region will face an even greater conflict.”
The statement by Turkey’s Foreign Ministry came after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Ismail Haniyeh had been killed in an attack in Iran’s capital Tehran, according to a report by Press TV. The IRGC said Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed when their home was attacked in Tehran.
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