In a speech Sunday (July 28) in the Black Sea city of Rize, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened Turkish military intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, referencing recent intervention in conflicts in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Erdoğan’s comments came at a Justice and Development Party (AKP) meeting in Rize, the president’s ancestral hometown.
Praising the development of Turkey’s domestic defense industry, Erdoğan said:
“We must stand strong so that Israel cannot do these things to Palestine. Just like how we intervened in Nagorno-Karabakh and in Libya, we will do the same to them. All that’s important is that we stand strong and take the necessary steps.”
In his remarks, Erdoğan also mentioned that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had been invited to Turkey for an official visit, but had apparently declined the offer.
In early May, Turkey announced the halting of all trade with Israel. Despite harsh rhetoric towards Israel since the start of the Gaza conflict, Erdoğan’s government had been criticized for continuing to trade with Israel, which was identified as a contributor to the AKP’s poor showing in local elections in late March.
Turkish intervention in Nagorno-Karabakh and Libya
Erdoğan’s Sunday remarks referenced the Turkish military’s interventions in conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh and Libya in recent years.
In autumn of 2020, war broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, the ethnically-Armenian region had been governed by Armenia-supported separatists since the end of the first Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1991.
Following nearly 30 years of frozen conflict, Azerbaijani forces invaded the region in September 2020, recapturing the breakaway region and leading to the dissolution of the breakaway Armenian republic. The Azerbaijani victory resulted in the mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia proper.
Throughout the conflict, Turkey was accused of providing military support to Azerbaijan in the form of military consultation as well as allegedly shipping in Syrian mercenary fighters. Armenia officials also alleged to have shot down a Turkish F-16 fighter jet, an accusation which Turkey denied.
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Turkey and Azerbaijan share significant historical, linguistic, and cultural ties, and often refer to their relationship as “two states, one nation.”
In the Libyan civil war in 2020, Turkey provided military support to the United Nations-recognized Tripoli-based government, which at the time was battling forces of the Libyan National Army led by commander Khalifa Haftar. Turkey’s support, which allegedly took the role of providing air support, weapons, and Syrian mercenary fighters, was criticized by NATO partner France for deepening the conflict.
Israel responds
Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz responded to Erdoğan’s comments Sunday, comparing Erdoğan to Saddam Hussein:
“Erdoğan follows in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and threatens to attack Israel. Just let him remember what happened there and how it ended.”
In a separate statement, Turkey’s foreign ministry released a statement Sunday comparing Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler:
“Just as the end of the genocidal Hitler came, so too will be the end of the genocidal Netanyahu.”
Written/translated for Medyascope by Keo Kendrick
