President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slammed Israel for coming up with new excuses to legitimize its policy of occupation and invasion.
"Hamas and Hezbollah are only an excuse. Israel is creating excuses every day for its policy of occupation and invasion," Erdoğan said at a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) at the Haliç Congress Center in Istanbul on Saturday.
Noting that Türkiye will continue to stand in solidarity with Palestinians, Erdoğan said Türkiye is the only country that has imposed economic sanctions on Israel.
"We've been defending the same values since day one. We never shy away from saying the same things at the U.N. as we do in Türkiye," Erdoğan said, adding that Türkiye is against all oppressors.
Erdoğan said Israel's target is clear and that Western countries continue to remain silent against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his "massacre squad" even though they know his intentions, mostly due to the fact that they're ashamed of the Holocaust.
The president continued by criticizing the West for claiming to defend freedoms but failing to uphold them when it comes to the issue of Palestine and demonstrators defending the rights of Palestinian children.
"They cannot even tolerate the Palestinian flag. They say protests are sacred when it comes to terrorist groups [referring to the PKK/YPG] but when it comes to Palestine, they defend the harshest type of fascism," Erdoğan said. He continued by saying that he's calling on all countries spoiling the Israeli government to act with common sense.
Türkiye has been fiercely critical of Israel’s brutal offensive in Gaza, which it and others say amounts to genocide. It has also slammed many Western allies for their support of Israel and repeatedly called for Muslim unity to facilitate a desperately needed cease-fire. Ankara urges Israel to reciprocate the constructive approach of the Palestinians in cease-fire negotiations and the international community to pressure Netanyahu’s government. Türkiye has also formally applied to join South Africa's initiative to have Israel tried for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Ankara has sought to mobilize Muslim and Arab countries to stand in the face of Israeli aggression and has been a fervent supporter of the Palestinian cause. It joined a diplomatic group consisting of ministers from various countries that went on a globetrotting mission to ensure more action by the international community to halt Israel’s attacks targeting innocent Palestinians and for a lasting peace.