President Erdogan Says Israeli PM Netanyahu is No Different from Nazi Hitler: He Gets Support from the West

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Source: Presidency of The Republic of Turkey)

JAKARTA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's actions were no different from those of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, likening Israel's attack on Gaza to the Nazis' treatment of the Jewish people.

President Erdogan also criticized Western support for Israel, even though Turkey is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), criticized Israel's air and ground attacks on Gaza, calling it a "terror state" and saying its leaders should be tried in international courts.

"They used to talk bad about Hitler. What's the difference between you and Hitler? They will make us miss Hitler. Is what Netanyahu is doing less than what Hitler did? Actually, no," said President Erdogan, reported by Reuters on December 28.

"He is richer than Hitler, he has support from the West. All kinds of support comes from the United States. And what do they do with all that support? They killed more than 20,000 Gazans," he denounced.

President Erdogan is known to have strongly criticized Israel regarding their actions in Palestine, fought for Palestinian independence, and called for a two-state solution to the ongoing conflict. Turkey itself was on the verge of normalizing relations with Turkey, before a new conflict broke out in Gaza following the October 7 attack in southern Israel.

"The violence carried out by Israel since October 7, which has claimed the lives of children and women, brings the truth to light. From the European Union to journalists' associations, this crisis is a failure for everyone. Those who brag (about human rights) are just talking "it's empty when it comes to Israel. It's been 80 days since the attacks started. All human values ​​were executed before our eyes. We saw Israeli Nazi camps in the stadiums," said President Erdogan, referring to the arrest of Palestinian civilians stripped naked by Israeli forces, as reported by Daily Sabah.

President Erdogan said Israel bombed places that should not be attacked even in times of war, from hospitals to schools and places of worship.

"They killed scientists in Gaza, along with their families," he continued.

"We watched the attack on 2.5 million people while crying. Despite all diplomatic efforts, we were unable to prevent the killing of hundreds of Gazans. As Muslims, as human beings, we feel humiliated because we could not stop the oppression. Turkey, the Turkish nation is trying to pass this humanitarian test," he said.

President Erdogan repeated his previous statement that the West has a debt to pay to Israel. "Germany is indebted to Israel for (Hitler's crimes against Jews). So, they are silent (in the face of Israeli aggression in Gaza). We have no debt. They cannot raise their voices. They do not tolerate voices for Palestine while they allow banners the PKK terrorist group in the streets," he said, referring to European countries allowing demonstrations by supporters of the terrorist group responsible for killing thousands of people in Turkey.