Tensions between Turkey and Israel escalated further on Friday following comments made by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which sparked sharp accusations from several Turkish officials.
Katz accused Erdoğan of turning Turkey into a dictatorship to support Hamas militants in a Turkish language tweet on X on Friday.
He said Erdoğan is blocking Instagram, which has 57 million users in Turkey, threatening to invade a democratic country with no military conflict with Turkey and causing $6 billion in annual losses to Turkish exporters by severing commercial ties.
Katz also accused Erdoğan of destroying Turkey’s scientific, cultural, technological and economic capabilities, erasing the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who founded modern Turkey. Katz expressed hope for better days and tagged İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Erdoğan’s top rival, in his tweet.
.@RTErdogan, tüm özgür dünyanın duruşuna karşı, sadece Hamas'ın katillerine ve tecavüzcülerine verdiği destek uğruna Türkiye'yi bir diktatörlüğe dönüştürüyor.
Türkiye'de 57 milyon kullanıcısı olan Instagram'ı engelliyor, İsrailli bir atlet bir Türk atleti yendi diye spor… pic.twitter.com/LFYbTqaPRc
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) August 2, 2024
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz strongly condemned Katz’s comments.
“Those who massacre innocent children and civilians in the occupied Gaza Strip must not mention Türkiye [and] the name of our president or the concept of freedom and democracy,” Yılmaz said in a statement on X.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan added to the criticism, stating on X: “Israel Katz constantly using our country and our president as a subject for his own delusions instead of focusing on his role as foreign minister is a complete form of sickness.” He also accused Katz of being part of a “genocidal Netanyahu government.”
Turkey’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, called Katz a “bloody genocidal murderer” and emphasized that Turkey and President Erdoğan had nothing to learn from people like Katz.
Mayor İmamoğlu responded by rejecting Katz’s statements and said that Turkey would not learn democracy and law from those who “have the blood of thousands of children on their hands.” İmamoğlu said, “I return this statement to you exactly as it is, which insults the flag of the Republic of Türkiye and the president.”
Many of Erdoğan’s critics slammed Katz’s statements on social media and accused him of taking sides, knowing of the anti-Israel sentiment in Turkey and thus tacitly supporting Erdoğan by insulting him.
The diplomatic row has been prompted by recent events, including Turkey’s declaration of a national day of mourning for Ismail Haniyeh, the assassinated political leader of Hamas. The flying of the Turkish flag at the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv at half-mast in honor of Haniyeh sparked an angry response from Katz, who summoned the Turkish deputy ambassador for a reprimand.
Haniyeh, a significant figure in Hamas, was involved in recent ceasefire negotiations following the deadly conflict that began on October 7, when Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, resulting in over 1,200 Israeli deaths and the abduction of around 250 individuals. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has led to over 39,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Canada, the European Union, Israel, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States label Hamas as a terrorist organization. New Zealand and Paraguay classify only its military wing as such. Brazil, China, Egypt, Iran, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Syria and Turkey do not consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
NATO member Turkey’s Western allies have time and again criticized what they see as the government of Erdoğan providing a safe haven for Hamas officials and members.
Earlier this week, President Erdoğan suggested Turkey could enter Israel as it did in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh. Speaking at a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the Black Sea province of Rize, Erdoğan said, “Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we will do [something] similar to them.” This remark was interpreted by Israel as the threat of military action.
In response, Katz likened Erdoğan to the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, warning that Erdoğan should remember how Saddam’s reign ended. This comparison drew a sharp rebuke from Ömer Çelik, the spokesperson for Erdoğan’s AKP, who likened Katz to Nazi Germany’s foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. Çelik said, “Israel’s Nazi-minded foreign minister and others like him constantly attack our president because they are disturbed by the policies our president pursues in the name of human values and conscience.”