The Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip dominated President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s address to a group of scientists in the capital of Ankara on Wednesday. As he called academics and scientists from around the world to work in Türkiye if they face persecution for their pro-Palestinian stance, the president slammed the Israeli prime minister and Western support for Israel’s attacks.
Erdoğan champions the Palestinian cause and advocates a two-state solution to the ongoing conflict. He stepped up his criticism of Israel, which was on the brink of fully normalizing relations with Türkiye before a new stage of the conflict erupted on Oct. 7.
“Israel’s violence since Oct. 7, which cost the lives of children and women, brought about the truth. From the European Union to journalists’ associations, this crisis was a failure for everyone. Those boasting (about human rights) turned out to be hollow characters when it comes to Israel. It has been 80 days since the attacks began. All the values of humanity are executed before our eyes. We saw Nazi camps of Israel in the stadia,” Erdoğan said, referring to the roundup of stripped Palestinian civilians by Israeli troops. “What is this? They used to denounce Hitler. You are no different than Hitler. Hitler was not as rich as those. They have every kind of support from the West, from the United States. They killed more than 20,000 Gazans,” Erdoğan said.
The president said Israel bombed places that should not be attacked even in wartime, from hospitals to schools and places of worship. “They martyred scientists in Gaza, along with their families,” Erdoğan told scientists. “We are watching the attacks on 2.5 million people in tears. Despite all diplomatic efforts, we could not prevent the killing of hundreds of Gazans. As Muslims, as human beings, we are humiliated that we cannot stop the oppression. Türkiye, the Turkish nation endeavors to pass this humanity test,” he said.
Erdoğan reiterated his earlier remarks that the West had a debt to pay to Israel. “Germany is indebted to Israel for (Hitler’s crimes against Jews). So, they are quiet (in the face of Israeli aggression in Gaza). We have no debts. They cannot raise their voice. They do not tolerate voices for Palestine while they allow banners of the terrorist group PKK on the streets,” he said, referring to European countries allowing demonstrations by the supporters of the terrorist group responsible for the killings of thousands in Türkiye.
“Even the slightest criticism of Israel, in the legal framework, in a democratic way, is blocked and tagged ‘anti-Semitic.’" The president said fascism, pressure and intimidation were on the rise. “I call on the scientists who faced pressure to speak out their minds. Turkish universities are open to them. We are ready to give you any support you need to continue your studies here,” he said.
Amid the emotional turmoil of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, private universities in the U.S. find themselves in a delicate balancing act as they grapple with the challenge of meeting the expectations of wealthy donors advocating stronger support for Israel, all while respecting the rights of protestors to express their views freely.
Several wealthy Americans have threatened to withdraw their financial support from prestigious private schools like the Ivy League’s Harvard University in Massachusetts or the University of Pennsylvania, known as UPenn.
Amid a controversy over Harvard University President Claudine Gay’s defense of free expression during anti-Israel protests, certain campus faculty members have demanded that some board members resign for supporting her. Criticism against President Gay has escalated due to her characterization of anti-Israel protests on campus under the umbrella of free expression.
Due to allegations of damaging the campus prestige, there are persistent calls for Gay to step down, with certain faculty members at Harvard University in the U.S. advocating for restoring the university’s “historic reputational damage,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
The development came as fallout continued from early December when three U.S. college presidents, the University of Pennsylvania’s Liz Magill, Gay and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sally Kornbluth, testified before Congress on anti-Semitic incidents on their campuses. They expressed their commitment to combating all forms of hatred, as well as an increase in Islamophobia and hatred toward Muslims.
They spent hours answering questions about anti-Semitism, disciplinary actions against students, how universities represent different points of view and campus security. Magill resigned after days of criticism and pressure following her comments at the hearing.
