‘Revealed His Antisemitic Face’: Erdogan’s Call to ‘Destroy Israel’ Prompts Feud With Top Israeli Diplomat

Ailin Vilches Arguello

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressing a pro-Hamas rally in Istanbul. Photo: Reuters/Dilara Senkaya

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for Israel’s destruction over the weekend while accusing the Jewish state of perpetrating “genocidal policies” in the Middle East, sparking a war of words with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

“We see what is happening in Palestine. May Allah destroy Zionist Israel in his holy name,” Erdogan said during a speech after visiting a mosque to commemorate the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“We must see what is happening there, and therefore, we must unite, be strong, and be brothers here. May Allah always strengthen our unity,” he continued in remarks reported by Turkish media.

Israel resumed its military operations against Hamas in Gaza earlier this month, saying the Palestinian terrorist group refused to release more Israeli hostages kidnapped during its October 2023 invasion of the Jewish state and rebuffed proposals to extend the ceasefire between them.

In response, Sa’ar on Sunday accused Erdogan of being antisemitic and warned the countries in the NATO alliance, of which Turkey is a member, to recognize him as a threat.

“The dictator Erdogan has revealed his antisemitic face,” Sa’ar posted on the X social media platform. “Erdogan is dangerous for both the region and his own people, as has been proven in recent days. We hope that the countries in the NATO alliance understand this, and hopefully sooner rather than later.”

Hours later, Turkey’s foreign ministry lambasted Sa’ar’s comments as “disrespectful and baseless” before once against criticizing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

“We categorically reject the outrageous statement made by the Foreign Minister of the Netanyahu government,” the statement read, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“These disrespectful and baseless allegations are part of an effort to cover up the crimes committed by Netanyahu and his associates,” the Turkish foreign ministry added, expressing concern that Israel will intensify its military campaign in Gaza and accusing Jerusalem of seeking to “destabilize” the region.

Turkey has long been one of Hamas’s top international backers, hosting members of the Palestinian terrorist group.

Israel’s foreign ministry responded to the Turkish statement with a social media post of its own calling Erdogan a “dictator” and an “antisemite” while referencing recent domestic opposition he has faced.

“What bothered the Turkish Foreign Ministry? Here’s a way to clarify the dictator’s words: Clearly state that Erdoğan is not an antisemite, that he is not an obsessive hater of the Jewish state,” the statement said. “Everyone knows what Erdogan has done to nations and peoples in the region — from Cyprus to Syria. Everyone sees what he does to his own people (and to Pikachu). And everyone hears what he wants to do to the Jewish state. The true face has been exposed to all.”

Erdogan has faced widespread criticism abroad and large protests inside Turkey for the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor and a top figure in the political opposition, Ekrem Imamoglu, who is believed to be the only Turkish politician capable of challenging Erdogan in a presidential election. Imamoglu was arrested on contested corruption and terrorism charges

Turkey and Israel also had a spat over the weekend over the latter’s military actions against the terrorist organization Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“We condemn Israel’s strikes against Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire agreement,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “We stand firmly by the people of Lebanon.”

“These attacks have once again exposed Israel’s flagrant disregard for international law and its ongoing threat to the region’s security and stability,” the statement continued. “The international community must stand united against Israel’s efforts to create a perpetual state of conflict in the region.”

In a post on X over the weekend, Israel’s foreign ministry responded by slamming Erdogan’s government, stating that Turkey does not need his “ridiculous moral sermons.”

“While violently suppressing his own citizens and carrying out mass arrests of political opponents, Erdogan presumes to preach lofty values to the international community,” the statement read. “In Erdogan’s Turkey, there is no justice, no law, and no freedom.”

“Israel acts to defend itself and its citizens against real threats and actual attacks — and it will continue to do so.”

Last week, Israel carried out its first major airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs in months, retaliating for an earlier rocket launch from Lebanon. The Israeli strike targeted a building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, a Hezbollah stronghold, which Israel said was a drone storage facility belonging to the Iranian-backed Shi’ite Muslim terrorist group.

In November, Lebanon and Israel reached a US-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended a year of fighting between the Jewish state and Hezbollah. Under the agreement, Israel was given 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon, allowing the Lebanese army and UN forces to take over security as Hezbollah disarms and moves away from Israel’s northern border.

Last month, however, Israel announced it would keep troops in five posts in southern Lebanon past a Feb. 18 deadline for its military forces to withdraw, as Israeli leaders sought to reassure northern residents that they can return home safely after evacuating due to relentless Hezbollah bombardments.

Meanwhile, Turkey has been one of the fiercest critics of Israel — and defenders of Hamas — since the outbreak of the Gaza war last October.

Last year, for example, Erdogan made an explicit threat to invade Israel, leading Israel’s top diplomat to call on NATO to expel Turkey, which has the alliance’s second largest military.

That followed Erdogan in March threatening to “send Netanyahu to Allah to take care of him, make him miserable, and curse him.” He previously accused Israel of operating “Nazi” concentration camps and compared Netanyahu with Adolf Hitler.

Weeks earlier, Erdogan said that Netanyahu was a “butcher” who would be tried as a “war criminal” over Israel’s defensive military operations in Gaza. He has also called Israel a “terror state” and expressed solidarity with Iran, which also supports Hamas, after it attacked the Jewish state with a barrage of ballistic missiles.

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