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Erdogan compares Netanyahu to Hitler
In remarks at an awards ceremony in capital Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan asked what difference there was between Netanyahu and Hitler, Al Jazeera reported.
Netanyahu later responded by pointing to Turkey’s own history of alleged rights abuses.
“They used to speak ill of Hitler. What difference do you have from Hitler? They are going to make us miss Hitler. Is what this Netanyahu is doing any less than what Hitler did? It is not,” Erdogan said.
“He is richer than Hitler, he gets the support from the West. All sorts of support comes from the United States. And what did they do with all this support? he said. Erdogan added that they have killed more than 34,000 Gazans.
Erdogan’s remarks came as Turkey ratchets up criticism of Israel, reversing a trend of growing ties with Israel before the regime’s assault on Gaza took a devastating humanitarian toll that has sparked outrage across the region.
The Turkish leader has previously levelled harsh criticism at Netanyahu and Israel, calling Israel a “terror state” with “unlimited” Western support in November.
Under Hitler’s rule, Nazi Germany embarked on an effort to systematically eliminate European Jews, killing six million through death and labor camps, mass shootings, and a variety of other methods.
The Israeli prime minister later hit back at Erdogan, criticizing Turkey for its own record of alleged rights abuses at home and in its conflict with Kurdish armed groups.
“Erdogan, who commits genocide against the Kurds, who holds a world record for imprisoning journalists who oppose his rule, is the last person who can preach morality to us,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians since October 7.