Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, accused Israel of creating an international “illusion” and using security concerns as a pretext to seize “more land,” in the latest flare-up in escalating tensions between the two countries, AFP reported.
The comments by Fidan were made on Saturday at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in the Mediterranean resort city.
“Israel is not after its own security. Israel is after more land,” Fidan charged, adding, “Security is being used by the Netanyahu government as an excuse to occupy more land.”
Speaking in English at a panel discussion, Fidan claimed Israel had created an “illusion” internationally by portraying itself as acting purely in its own defense.
“It has become very clear, especially in recent years, that it is more than that,” he said.
From “Palestinian lands” including Gaza, Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem, and now extending towards Lebanon and Syria, Israel was pursuing “an onward occupation and expansionism in the region,” Fidan claimed, adding, “I think this has to stop.”
“Israel has to know that the only way to live peacefully in the region is to let other countries enjoy their own security, territorial integrity and freedom, and not to use power against them,” he added.
Turkey and Israel were close to reconciliation just before the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, but since that time, Turkish officials, and foremost Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have repeatedly criticized Israel.
In March of last year, Erdogan blasted Israel and described it as a “terror state” after it launched surprise strikes on terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.
Several months later, the Turkish President claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government represents the most significant threat to Middle East security.
In April of 2024, he met then-Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul. Haniyeh was later eliminated by Israel.
Erdogan said after the meeting that Palestinian Arab unity was “vital” and added, “The strongest response to Israel and the path to victory lie in unity and integrity.”
Weeks later, Erdogan boasted of the fact that more than 1,000 members of Hamas were being treated in hospitals across Turkey and also took issue with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ reference to Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Last week, the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office filed an extensive indictment against 35 senior Israeli officials, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in connection with the Israeli navy’s seizure of the “Sumud” flotilla bound for Gaza in October last year.
Prosecutors are seeking severe penalties, including life imprisonment as well as cumulative sentences ranging from more than 1,100 to over 4,500 years.
Responding to the indictment, Defense Minister Israel Katz blasted Erdogan and said, “Turkish President Erdogan, who did not respond to missile fire from Iran into Turkish territory and was revealed as a paper tiger, is fleeing to the realms of antisemitism and declaring field trials in Turkey against Israel’s political and military leadership.”
He added, “What an absurdity. The Muslim Brotherhood man, who massacred Kurds, is accusing Israel of genocide for defending itself against his Hamas partners.”
“Israel will continue to defend itself with strength and determination – and he had better sit quietly and shut up.”
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