Erdogan Says Zionism Threatens Turkey's Survival as Gaza War Keeps Ankara-Israel Ties in Crisis
Updated
Updated · i24NEWS · Jun 27
Erdogan Says Zionism Threatens Turkey's Survival as Gaza War Keeps Ankara-Israel Ties in Crisis
3 articles · Updated · i24NEWS · Jun 27
Summary
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Zionism threatens Turkey’s survival, calling it a “genocidal, occupying, expansionist ideology” and framing opposition to it as a national struggle.
The remarks extend Erdogan’s hard-line rhetoric since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack and Israel’s war in Gaza, during which he has labeled Israel a terrorist state and compared Benjamin Netanyahu to Hitler and Stalin.
That language has tracked a broader rupture in Turkey-Israel relations after an earlier rapprochement, with Ankara cutting trade and economic ties while keeping diplomatic relations formally intact.
Turkey has also maintained contacts with Hamas and hosted delegations from the group, underscoring how the Gaza war continues to drive regional tensions and Ankara’s posture toward Israel.