Israel rebukes Turkey's Erdogan over 'Hitler' comparison!
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Israel's prime minister has angrily rebuffed comments by the Turkish
president who called Israel the "most fascist, racist state" in the
world.
Benjamin Netanyahu accused Recep
Tayyip Erdogan of "massacring Syrian and Kurds", after Mr Erdogan
compared Israeli political leaders to Hitler. Mr Netanyahu tweeted that under
Mr Erdogan's rule, Turkey had become a "dark dictatorship". The two
countries have a recent history of tense relations.
Once close allies, Turkey broke off
diplomatic ties with Israel in 2010 after 10 pro-Palestinian Turkish activists
were killed in clashes with Israeli commandos who boarded a Turkish-owned ship
trying to break Israel's maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip. Relations were
restored in 2016, but they expelled each other's top diplomats in May this year
in a dispute over Israel's killing of Palestinians amid protests on the
Gaza-Israel border. Human rights groups have accused Israeli troops of using
excessive force. Israel says they only opened fire in self-defence or on
Palestinians trying to infiltrate its territory under the cover of the
demonstrations to carry out attacks.
'Spirit
of Hitler'
In a
speech to his Islamist-rooted AKP party, Mr Erdogan sharply criticised a controversial law passed by Israel last week which characterised
the country as principally a Jewish state.
"This measure has shown without
leaving the slightest room for doubt that Israel is the world's most Zionist,
fascist and racist state," Mr Erdogan said.
"There is no difference between Hitler's obsession with the Aryan
race and Israel's understanding that these ancient lands are meant only for
Jews. "The spirit of Hitler, which led the world to a great catastrophe,
has found its resurgence among some of Israel's leaders," he added.
Israel considers comparisons with the
Nazi regime, which murdered six million Jews in Europe in the Holocaust, as an
egregious insult. Responding swiftly on Twitter, Mr Netanyahu accused Mr
Erdogan of "massacring Syrians and Kurds and imprisoning tens of thousands
of his fellow citizens". He added: "The fact that the 'great
democrat' Erdogan attacks [Israel's] national law is the greatest
compliment."
"Turkey under Erdogan is becoming a dark dictatorship, while Israel
is meticulously maintaining equal rights for all its citizens, before and after
the [national] law." It is not the first time Mr Erdogan has launched a
verbal attack on Israel. Earlier this year, Mr Erdogan called Mr Netanyahu
"an occupier" and "a terrorist". Mr Netanyahu responded by
saying Israel would "not be lectured to on morality from someone who for
years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately".
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