Turkish president hits back at Israel over "genocide" recognition

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has dismissed Israel's decision to formally recognise the so-called "Armenian genocide", accusing the country of lacking credibility over its military campaign in Gaza.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting on June 30, Erdoğan rejected Israel's criticism of Türkiye, Caliber.Az reports, citing Politico.

“We do not give the slightest heed to the slanders about our country from the murder network that has the blood of 73,000 innocent Gazans, most of them children and women, on its hands,” Erdoğan said after a cabinet meeting. “In our history there is no genocide, no massacre, no oppression, and no colonialism.”

Israel's parliament unanimously approved the recognition on July 28, prompting a sharp response from Ankara and marking another setback in the already strained relationship between the two countries, which has further deteriorated amid the war in Gaza.

During his remarks, Erdoğan said Israel's decision was undermined by what he described as its conduct in Gaza and highlighted Türkiye's role in providing refuge to Jews fleeing Nazi persecution during World War II.

“There is the virtue of protecting those who fled from … Nazi persecution,” Erdoğan said. “Those who slander Turkey and the Turkish nation … know this best, if they look at their own history.”

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not commented on Erdoğan's remarks by the time the article was published.

Erdoğan has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Last week, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz described Israel's vote recognising the so-called "Armenian genocide" as “an attempt to cover up their own crimes.”

Israel has consistently rejected allegations that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov