Turkish officials have denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over remarks targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, after Erdoğan warned Israel against pursuing what he described as expansionist aims in the region.
Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting, Erdoğan said Türkiye was closely watching crises and wars in its region, including the situation in Gaza and Lebanon.
“We are well aware of the ultimate aim of the delusion of the promised land. God willing, we will never allow this,” Erdoğan said.
He also warned Israel, saying: “No one should seek adventure.”
Netanyahu later responded on X, accusing Erdoğan and defending the Israeli army as “the most moral army in the world,” while saying Israel would continue its military actions against Iran and its proxies.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek rejected Netanyahu’s remarks, saying they were “null and void.”
Gürlek said Netanyahu was a suspect in a genocide investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and accused him of targeting Erdoğan for defending “human dignity” and the Palestinian cause.
“Netanyahu and the murder network around him will sooner or later be held accountable before independent justice for the crimes against humanity they have committed,” Gürlek said.
Communications Director Burhanettin Duran also criticized Netanyahu, saying a government facing genocide accusations over Gaza had no standing to lecture Türkiye.
Duran said Netanyahu’s attempt to target Erdoğan, whom he described as the voice of the oppressed, was “one of the greatest inconsistencies in history.”
“Defamation and propaganda cannot change the facts,” Duran said.
He added that Türkiye would continue to defend what it sees as the truth and stand with oppressed people under Erdoğan’s leadership.
Türkiye has been among the most vocal critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and has repeatedly called for accountability before international courts.
