In his speech in Istanbul on Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan compared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the world's worst historical dictators: Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Benito Mussolini. This follows a series of Erdogan's comments and accusations against Israel which have been intensifying since the outbreak of war on October 7.
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“Netanyahu and his administration, with their crimes against humanity in Gaza, are writing their names next to Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin, like today’s Nazis,” he said.
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President Erdogan and Prime Minister Netanyahu
(Photo: Marc Israel Sellem, Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
Erdogan also reiterated his support for Hamas, noting that no one could "make" Turkey "qualify Hamas as a terrorist organization," citing criticism over Ankara's refusal to designate the group as a terrorist movement.
"Turkey is a country that speaks openly with Hamas leaders and firmly backs them.”
"We will continue to do what is necessary to hold Israeli officials accountable for the massacres committed in Gaza in accordance with international law," stated Erdogan, citing the intensified dialogue between Ankara and Cairo.
Since October 7, Erdogan has been consistently making anti-Israel statements. The last time he compared Netanyahu to the Nazi Germany leader Hitler was back in December, to which Israeli Prime Minister responded that Erdogan is the last person ‘to preach morality’ to Israel.