Erdogan threatens military action against Israel, MK calls him a ‘megalomaniacal dictator’

Erdogan made comparisons with past interventions in Karabakh and Libya and warned that Türkiye could take military action against Israel if necessary.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday accused Israel of atrocities in Palestine and Lebanon and threatened potential military action against the Jewish state, similar to its past interventions in Karabakh and Libya.

In his speech at the International Asian-Political Parties Conference held in Istanbul, Erdoğan said, “The bloody genocide network continues to kill innocent children, women and civilians without any rules or principles, disregarding all kinds of human values.” he said.

Erdoğan said, “Despite the ceasefire, Israel forced 1.2 million Lebanese to leave their homes due to attacks on civilian settlements.” he said. However, both Israel and the United States have rejected claims that Lebanon is included in the current ceasefire with Iran. In describing Israel’s actions as “barbaric”, Erdogan referred to the controversial law recently passed by the Knesset approving death sentences for terrorists. The Turkish leader said it was “only for Palestinian prisoners.”

Responding to reporters later in the day, Erdogan stepped up his rhetoric further and suggested that Ankara could choose to engage militarily with Israel.

Erdogan said, “We must be strong to prevent Israel from doing this to Palestine.” “We will do the same to them as we entered Karabakh and Libya,” he said. “There is nothing stopping us from doing this. We need to be strong to take these steps.”

Erdogan’s harsh rhetoric is part of his ongoing narrative that seeks to position Türkiye as a staunch defender of Palestinian rights.

Responding to his comments, the Minister of Culture Amichai Eliyahu (Otzma Yehudit)He harshly condemned Erdogan’s remarks and moral superiority and accused the Turkish leader of hypocrisy, pointing out Türkiye’s history of territorial aggression in Cyprus and its treatment of minorities, especially Kurds.

In his statement, Eliyahu said, “Turkey, which conquered Northern Cyprus and controls the Kurdish lands in the east, dares to give us moral lessons. Turkey, which built its economy on the Armenian Genocide, dares to accuse us of genocide. Turkey, which enforces Islamization by force, dares to talk about human rights.”

“Hypocritical Erdogan is impressing no one with this current circus,” he continued, describing the Turkish president as a “megalomanic dictator” who has “imperialist ambitions” and sees himself as “an Ottoman Sultan who is nothing more than a pathetic tyrant of a country with a collapsing economy and a dead democracy.”

Eliyahu’s remarks went beyond merely criticizing Erdogan, implying that it was time for Israel and Türkiye to “close this sad chapter of relations” and promised to submit a proposal to the Israeli government to completely sever diplomatic ties with Turkey.

In his post, Eliyahu shared a photo that appears to have been edited by artificial intelligence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raising an Israeli flag on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem while Erdogan bows at Netanyahu’s feet, possibly referencing Erdogan’s controversial approach. past statements claiming this Jerusalem belongs to Turkey.

The escalation of tensions came after Türkiye’s indictment of Israeli MPs

The heated debate follows a Turkish court’s decision on Friday to indict Netanyahu and 35 other Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, for their role in the seaborne intervention of the “Sumud” Gaza flotilla in October 2025. Istanbul chief prosecutor accused the defendants of participating in a military operation against civilians in international waters.

Participants in the flotilla, including prominent activists such as Greta Thunberg, were detained by Israeli authorities, the consequences of which led to Türkiye’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and others.

This indictment, which foresees long prison sentences for those who played a role in interfering with the fleet, increased tension. While Erdogan’s government claims to uphold international law by holding Israeli officials accountable, Israeli officials, including Netanyahu and Katz, responded by labeling Erdogan a “paper tiger” and accusing him of hypocrisy and complicity in regional conflicts.

Netanyahu, Katz and Ben-Gvir responded to the indictment on Saturday with separate posts on X/Twitter; Netanyahu accused Erdogan of “murdering his own Kurdish citizens”, to which Ben-Gvir replied: “Erdogan, do you understand English? Fuck you.”

Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the posts in question by accusing Netanyahu of being the “Hitler of our time”.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.