Unfounded allegations made by Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attempt to divert attention from Tel Aviv’s crimes in Palestine, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.
“Israeli Foreign Minister Katz’s disrespectful tone and baseless accusations against President Erdoğan are a futile attempt to change the agenda about Israel’s crimes in Palestine,” the ministry said, adding that the Netanyahu administration killed almost 40,000 Palestinians in the past six months and “barbarically massacred dozens of innocent Palestinians” by bombing a refugee camp in Rafah on Sunday.
“All those who are complicit in these crimes will be brought to justice before international courts,” the ministry said, adding that Türkiye would continue to advocate for justice and the rights of Palestinians.
Katz, who frequently posts provocative messages about Türkiye, said Erdoğan should be accused of genocide against Kurds, an absurd statement considering the rights and freedoms granted to Türkiye’s Kurdish citizens since the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power. The president frequently notes that Türkiye only targets PKK terrorists, and does not have a problem with Kurdish citizens.
In the past two decades, Türkiye made significant progress in terms of rights given to Kurds, despite many decades of negligence, including the establishment of a Kurdish TV channel, the introduction of Kurdish lessons in universities and other development projects.
The community had fallen victim to a brutal campaign of terror by the PKK and the state’s harsh measures to contain it.
At least 45 people, mostly women and children, were killed and nearly 250 others injured in an Israeli strike on a camp for displaced people in Rafah.
Israel carried out the atrocious attack despite an International Court of Justice (ICJ) order for Tel Aviv to halt its offensive in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
Israel has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which killed around 1,200 people.
The military campaign has turned much of the enclave of 2.3 million people into ruins, leaving most civilians homeless and at risk of famine.
Sarah Wilson is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
