Erdogan Accuses Israel of Truce Violations, Defends Hamas
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a fierce accusation against Israel, alleging that it had violated the Gaza ceasefire. Speaking at an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) economic summit in Istanbul, Erdogan insisted that Hamas is “quite determined to adhere to the agreement while Israel’s record is very poor,” according to a report by JNS.
The Turkish leader used the forum to urge Muslim nations to take “a leading role” in rebuilding Gaza, pressing for the immediate adoption of the reconstruction blueprint presented jointly by the Arab League and the OIC at their March 4 summit in Cairo. That proposal, he said, stands as an alternative to President Donald Trump’s “Middle East Riviera” initiative.
Erdogan further declared that his government “cannot allow Israel to annex Judea and Samaria, alter the status of Yerushalayim or attempt to harm the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa mosque.” His remarks came as Ankara continues to intensify its criticism of Israel amid the ongoing conflict.
While Erdogan accused Israel of undermining the ceasefire, Hamas has in fact been responsible for multiple violations of the truce. The terror group has killed three Israeli soldiers and delayed the return of the bodies of hostages that were supposed to be handed over within 72 hours of the agreement.
Last Thursday, Hamas returned the bodies of Sachar Baruch and Amiram Cooper to Israel. The following day, it transferred three additional bodies that were later determined not to belong to any of the 11 remaining captives. On Sunday, Hamas released the bodies of Omer Neutra, Asaf Hamami, and Oz Daniel, but continues to hold the remains of eight hostages.
The terror organization has reportedly demanded heavy construction equipment, claiming it is needed to extract the remaining bodies from rubble.
Over the last decade, relations between Turkey and Israel have plunged, driven largely by Erdogan’s increasingly combative tone and open hostility toward the Jewish state. His rhetoric has repeatedly inflamed tensions between Ankara and Yerushalayim.
Earlier this year, Erdogan called Israel a “terror state” following its airstrikes on terrorist targets in Gaza. A few months later, in June, he asserted that Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s administration poses “the most significant threat to Middle East security.”
{Matzav.com}
