Ankara [Turkiye], September 8 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for an alliance of Islamic nations to stop "Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry, and Israeli state terrorism," Israel-based i24 News reported.
Erdogan made the remarks after Palestinian and Turkish officials said that a Turkish-American woman taking part in a protest on Friday against settlement expansion in the West Bank was killed by Israeli troops.
Speaking at an Islamic schools' association event near Istanbul, Erdogan said, "The only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry, and Israeli state terrorism is the alliance of Islamic countries," i24 News reported.
He stated Turkiye's recent steps to improve relations with Egypt and Syria have been taken at "forming a line of solidarity against the growing threat of expansionism," which he stressed also threatened Lebanon and Syria, according to i24 News report.
In response to Erdogan's calls for an alliance of Islamic nations to stop Israel, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that the Turkish President continues to throw the people of his country into fire of hatred and violence for the "sake of his Hamas friends."
Katz called Erdogan's claims that Israel wants to conquer countries in the region a "dangerous lie and incitement." He stated that Israel is defending its borders and citizens from Hamas and the "Shiite axis of evil led by Iran."
In a post on X, Israel Katz stated, "@RTErdogan continues to throw the Turkish people into the fire of hatred and violence for the sake of his Hamas friends. Today, he calls on Islamic nations to form an alliance against Israel, claiming 'Israel wants to conquer countries in the region, including Turkey.' This is a dangerous lie and incitement."
"Israel is defending its borders and citizens from the murderers and rapists of Hamas, and from the Shiite axis of evil led by Iran. Erdogan and the Muslim Brotherhood alliance have been working for years alongside Iran to undermine moderate Arab regimes in the Middle East. Erdogan should be silent and ashamed," he added.
Earlier in August, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the killing of Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in an attack in Tehran and offered condolences to the Palestinian people.
In a statement released on X, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We condemn the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Chief of the Hamas Political Bureau, in a heinous attack in Tehran."
"We express our condolences to the Palestinian people, hundreds of thousands of whom, like Haniyeh, have been martyred in order to live peacefully in their homeland under the roof of their own state," it added.
It accused the Israeli government of lacking intention to achieve peace. It said that the attack was aimed at spreading war in Gaza to a regional level. It further said that Turkey will continue to support the "just cause" of the Palestinian people.
In a statement, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The Netanyahu government's lack of intention to achieve peace has been demonstrated once again. This attack is also aimed at spreading the war in Gaza to a regional level. If the international community does not act to stop Israel, our region will face an even greater conflict."
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs' statement came after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that Ismail Haniyeh had been killed in an attack in Iran's capital, Tehran, according to Press TV report. The IRGC said that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed when their house was hit in Tehran.
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