Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a fresh response Tuesday evening to Israel's formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide, rejecting the move as a slander from a 'crime network' whose hands are stained with the blood of 73,000 innocent Gazans. Erdogan denied any genocide in Turkish history, claiming his nation's millennia-long record is one of 'justice and compassion.'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday evening escalated his verbal assault on Israel, issuing a new statement dismissing the Jewish state's formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide as 'slander' from a 'murderous crime network.' Erdogan explicitly denied any genocide, massacre, oppression, or colonialism in Turkish history, asserting a legacy of 'justice and compassion' over millennia. He accused Israel of having blood on its hands from 73,000 Gaza dead, citing the figure as proof that the genocide claim is a diversion from Israel's own conduct.
This marks the latest in a sequence of at least eight responses from Erdogan since Israel's cabinet unanimously approved the recognition at 08:02 Tuesday morning, spearheaded by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. The thread shows Erdogan's rhetoric escalating through the evening: initial reports at 19:42 Jerusalem characterized Israel as a 'murderous crime network'; subsequent versions added accusations of 73,000 Gazan deaths, invoked Turkey's history of granting asylum to persecuted groups from the Inquisition to the Nazis, and culminated in the current denial of any genocide while citing 'justice and compassion.' Each of these statements, all published at 19:42 Jerusalem, represents a simultaneous release of multiple salvoes rather than a chronological escalation within the hour.
As The Zioneer reported earlier on Tuesday, Erdogan first branded Israel a 'murderous gang' hours after the recognition was announced. The recognition itself has drawn condemnation from Turkey and Azerbaijan, and an initially cool response from Armenia itself. On Sunday, Foreign Minister Sa'ar said the recognition was 'not a retaliatory action' against Turkey, but an acknowledgment of historical truth.
The figure of 73,000 Gazan dead, cited by Erdogan, remains unverified by independent sources. The Turkish president's denial of any genocide in Ottoman history contradicts the consensus of historians and the official positions of dozens of nations.
5 developments
- DevelopingErdogan calls Israel a 'murderous gang' over Armenian Genocide recognition
- StrongTurkey says Israel's Armenian Genocide recognition aimed to whitewash Gaza crimes
- DevelopingFM Sa'ar: Armenian Genocide recognition not retaliation, but truth
- DevelopingArmenia's president cool to Israel's recognition of Armenian genocide
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