Foreign Minister Israel Katz tweeted in Turkish on Friday, in which he harshly attacked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing him of turning Turkey into a dictatorship. The tweet caused a media frenzy in Turkey following Katz attaching an AI-made picture of Erdogan burning Turkey.
"Against the stance of the entire free world, he is turning Turkey into a dictatorship just for the sake of supporting the murderers and rapists of Hamas. He blocks Instagram, which has 57 million users in Turkey, cuts off sports broadcasts because an Israeli athlete beat a Turkish athlete, threatens to invade a democratic country with which Turkey has no military conflict, and causes $6 billion in annual losses to Turkish exporters by cutting off trade relations, Katz tweeted."
"Erdoğan is taking and destroying a Turkish state with scientific, cultural, technological and economic capabilities, and is eliminating the legacy of Atatürk, who built a progressive and prosperous Turkey. Let's hope for the days when everything will be fine," Katz added.
Minister Katz's tweet received more than 13 million views within three hours, and as of Saturday morning has about 30 million views. The tweet managed to greatly upset senior officials in the Turkish government, who attacked Katz back. Turkish Foreign Minister Hikan Fidan tweeted that "it is a complete sickness that Israel Katz, instead of serving as foreign minister, constantly subjects our country and our president to his illusions. This man, whose presence in the cabinet consists of an obsession with slander and lying, is a monument to the brazenness and insolence of the genocidal Netanyahu government."
In addition, Katz tagged Istanbul's mayor and Erdogan's rival, Ekrem İmamoglu in his tweet which made İmamoglu look like Israel's collaborator on X, forcing him to attack Katz in his own post. "I return this statement to you who insults the flag of the Republic of Turkey and the president. We are not going to learn democracy and law from him, who shed the blood of tens of thousands of children. Yes, everything will be fine when Palestine is free."
The Turkish Minister of Trade, Dr. Omer Bolat, tweeted that "The words of a short-sighted government that has been ruthlessly killing innocent people, including women and children, by the state, and the words of a short-sighted minister targeting our President and our country are completely null and void. The genocidal murderers who feed on the blood of innocents will always be remembered in the conscience of the international community for the crimes against humanity they have committed. The truths expressed by our President will remain as symbols of human dignity and justice."
"It is futile for the Israeli government to try to cover up its own brutality with such aggressive and despicable rhetoric. Justice will prevail sooner or later and show the whole world what the truth is. On this occasion, we wish patience and success in the resistance of all our Palestinian brothers and sisters who are being oppressed under occupation. The Republic of Turkey will continue to stand by the oppressed with the courageous stance of our President," he added.
The Turkish Minister of Transport, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, also attacked Katz in his own post on the X network: "The impudent Minister of the murderous state, our President Mr. Erdogan, is the hope of all oppressed geographies including Palestine. First you will account for the blood of babies, children and women that you have touched. You are guilty and you will be tried sooner or later. Also, regardless of which social media platform it is, everyone must comply with the laws of the Republic of Turkey. We will not look at what you think while implementing the laws, impudent ones. We repeat it once more and loudly: “We will not remain silent until Palestine is free."
Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom, came to Katz's defense after previously expressing his distaste for Erdogan. "President Ronald Reagan once called Khadaffi the Mad Dog of the Middle East. Today that title suits Erdogan. Friend with the terrorists of Hamas, blind hate towards Israel. But more than that: an enemy of the Turkish people. Most Turks are great people, proud of the legacy of Atatürk, in favor of a secular state, and have respect for all the strong, often well-educated, women in Türkiye."
"They despise the fact that Erdogan sold Turkey out to Arabs from neighboring countries living there today, who weaken the Turkish economy and make life on the streets unsafe for Turkish women. I support all those women and secular Turks. They deserve so much better than the Islamist dictator called Erdogan. They deserve secularism, security, and well-paid jobs to live their life in freedom," he added.