Türkiye on Saturday rejected a statement by the Israeli Foreign Ministry targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying the “lies and slanders” it contained reflected the mentality of those serving in the Israeli government.
“The lies and slanders targeting our President in the statement issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry reflect the cowardly and rotten mentality of the criminals serving in the Israeli government, particularly (Benjamin) Netanyahu,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Netanyahu and his “criminal network” brought “historic shame” upon the entire Israeli people by committing genocide in Gaza and had displayed expansionism unprecedented in the modern history of the Middle East, making them a primary source of regional and global instability.
“The immunities enjoyed by Netanyahu and his criminal network are disappearing both legally and politically,” the statement said.
The ministry said the efforts of Israeli institutions, which it said operate in a manner similar to “Goebbels’ propaganda machine,” were no longer sufficient, and the international community no longer believes the Netanyahu government’s “lies.”
“Türkiye, under the leadership of our President, has maintained an honest and determined stance against the crimes committed during the Netanyahu era,” the ministry said. “We will continue to defend and voice the truth.”
Türkiye’s Head of Communications, Burhanettin Duran, said on the US social media platform X that Israel’s statement was “a stark example of a mindset that resorts to slander and propaganda rather than confronting the facts.”
He said Israel was attempting to “conceal their aggression, the genocide they have committed, war crimes, and crimes against humanity” by “hiding behind the concept of ‘antisemitism.’”
Duran said Türkiye’s opposition was directed at Israel’s occupation, oppression, massacres and violations of international law, stressing that Erdogan would continue defending the Palestinian cause and supporting the people of Gaza and regional stability.