Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that if Türkiye and Germany jointly achieve a humanitarian cease-fire in the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza, the region can be rescued from the ring of fire.
Speaking at the joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Erdogan said 13,000 Palestinians — including children, women and elderly people — have been killed so far in the war and almost all of Gaza has been destroyed due to Israel’s attacks on the besieged enclave.
Hamas’ attack against Israel on Oct. 7 is portrayed as a starting point, said Erdogan.
“The period after Oct. 7 is not discussed at all. Can the weaponry and strength of the Hamas be compared to the arsenal and power of Israel?” he asked.
The support that should be given to Palestine itself is also not provided, said the Turkish leader.
“Does Israel currently have nuclear weapons? Yes, but if you ask Israel, they won’t admit it because they are very good at using lies.
“If our hands, arms and tongues remain tied, we cannot account before history. The Israeli-Palestinian war should not be judged using the psychology of indebtedness,” he said.
Reminding that places of worship, churches, and hospitals are being targeted in Gaza, Erdogan said the Torah does not allow the bombing of hospitals and the killing of children.
“It is against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But as seen here, how are these children being shot? How are they being killed in hospitals?” he said. “We didn’t put ourselves through something like the Holocaust. I made my stance on anti-Semitism as a prime minister.”
Erdogan noted that German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will visit Israel soon and he will ask him to broker a cease-fire in Gaza.
Source: AA
