Worthy Christian News > World News > Turkey: Erdogan denounces Israel as “Zionist Terrorist Organization”

Turkey: Erdogan denounces Israel as “Zionist Terrorist Organization”

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Reiterating similar remarks he made in the weeks after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year and triggered the current war in Gaza, President Tayyip Erdogan of NATO member Turkey stated this week that Israel is a “Zionist terrorist organization,” the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.

Erdogan made his remarks in light of Israel’s involvement in violent conflicts with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran’s Islamic regime which supports both of these terror groups.

“Israel is a Zionist terrorist organization,” Erdogan said in a speech to his AKP party’s parliamentary group, broadcast on state TV TRT. “A year ago, I said that Israel was faced with the choice between becoming a state or being a terrorist organization. Since then, Israel has acted like a Zionist terrorist organization, committing the most brutal genocide of the century in Gaza.”

“Our neighbor Iran’s response to the escalating Israeli attacks last week has increased the risk of a regional conflict more than ever. We are following these tensions very closely, where a new threshold is being crossed almost every day, and we are taking all precautions for the security of our state and nation,” Erdogan said.

Erdogan also criticized Western powers, especially the United States, for supporting Israel militarily.

Notably, the historically tense relations between Turkey and Israel appeared to be thawing in September last year, with Erdogan and Netanyahu sitting down for a meeting and a photo opportunity together on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 19, 2023. The Hamas attack on Israel just over two weeks later reversed this course.