Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has accused Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan of incitement to genocide after Fidan called for international sanctions on Israel and described the country as a burden that humanity can no longer bear.
Fidan made the remarks during an interview with CNN Türk, where he accused Israel of bringing instability, bloodshed and massacres to the region and argued that Israel had become a problem not only for Turkey but for the international community.
“These people have become a burden that humanity can no longer bear,” Fidan said, referring to Israel and its policies.
He called on other countries to take a diplomatic position and impose sanctions on Israel.
Fidan said countries should not expect Turkey to confront Israel alone, arguing that others must also take responsibility, adopt a diplomatic position and impose sanctions.
Sa’ar responded on X, accusing Fidan of using “textbook incitement to genocide.”
Turkish FM @HakanFidan’s sickening words are textbook incitement to genocide.
Dehumanizing the Jewish people as an "unbearable burden" is the classic, horrific language of history’s worst eliminationist regimes.
The civilized world and Turkey's NATO allies must unequivocally…
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) July 2, 2026
“Dehumanizing the Jewish people as an ‘unbearable burden’ is the classic, horrific language of history’s worst eliminationist regimes,” Sa’ar wrote.
“The civilized world and Turkey’s NATO allies must unequivocally condemn this explicit call for the erasure of Israel,” he added.
The accusation came days after Israel’s Cabinet approved a proposal to formally recognize the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide, a step that still requires parliamentary approval.
Turkey rejects the genocide label and says the deaths occurred during wartime conditions and civil conflict.
Ankara accused Israel of using the Armenian issue to deflect attention from Gaza, where Israeli military operations have sparked genocide accusations from states, rights groups and UN experts.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan denounced Israel’s move this week, saying Turkey’s history was free of genocide and colonialism while accusing Israel of responsibility for Palestinian deaths in Gaza.
Turkey has sought to cast itself as one of Israel’s most vocal state critics since the latter’s military campaign in Gaza began, joining South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and repeatedly calling for Israel to face legal and economic pressure.
That position has also faced scrutiny from pro-Palestinian groups and UN experts who say Ankara’s rhetoric has not matched its economic and logistical ties.
In an October 2025 report titled “Gaza Genocide: a collective crime,” UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese named Turkey as among countries whose transportation infrastructure had enabled Israel’s genocide in Gaza via trade and supply chains, including ports used for dual use goods and materials, that is, items that can also be used for military purposes.
The report also cited allegations that some trade continued indirectly despite Turkey’s declared restrictions and noted the role of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which carries Azerbaijani oil through Turkey to the Mediterranean terminal of Ceyhan, from where crude has been shipped to Israel.
Turkey announced in 2024 that it had suspended trade with Israel, but activists and opposition figures have continued to point to oil flows, port access and indirect commerce.
The latest exchange also comes as Turkey and Israel compete over regional questions beyond Gaza, including Syria, where Ankara backs the new government while Israel has carried out strikes and warned against Turkish military entrenchment.
There had been no immediate public response from the Turkish Foreign Ministry to Sa’ar’s accusation as of Friday.