Speaking at an AKP party meeting in Rize, Turkey on Sunday evening, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appeared to threaten an invasion of Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
“We must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these things to Palestine,” Erdoğan said in his speech. “Just as we entered [Nagorno-] Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we might do the same to them. There is nothing we cannot do. Only we must be strong.”
Erdoğan’s comments were notable not only for their apparent threat of military intervention in Gaza but also for their apparent admission of direct military action in Karabakh, Azerbaijan, which Turkey has previously denied.
In 2020, Turkey sent military forces to Libya to help the Government of National Unity, which is supported by the United Nations. However, Turkey officially denied any direct military role in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, admitting only to aiding its ally Azerbaijan through training and weapons sales.
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Armenia accused Turkey of directly intervening in the war both by sending some troops to participate in the fighting, as well as involvement by its Air Force, where Armenia claims that a Turkish F-16 fighter jet downed one of its planes.
While Turkey has officially denied any military intervention, saying it was using “all means” to support its ally, Erdoğan’s comments on Sunday appear to contradict that.
The Turkish president has a history of previous provocative comments threatening Israel. In May, he urged the Islamic world to take action against Israel.
“I have some words to say to the Islamic world,” Erdoğan said at a party meeting at the end of May.
“What are you waiting for to take a common decision?” he asked. “When will the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) implement effective, preventative policy to stop Israel’s genocide?”
Turkey has also given support to Hamas, even hosting Hamas leaders in the country.
In March, Israel thwarted an attempted Hamas attack which was planned and led by the militia’s members residing in Turkey.
Some analysts believe that if Qatar were to expel the Hamas leadership currently staying there, Turkey would be willing to host them.
Following Erdoğan’s comments, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded on 𝕏: “Erdoğan follows in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and threatens to attack Israel. Just let him remember what happened there and how it ended.”
Since Oct. 7, Turkey has refused to condemn Hamas’ actions or declare the group to be a terror organization.
In May, Erdoğan announced that Turkey would halt all trade with Israel over the Gaza War, as he accused Israel of committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.
This article originally appeared on ALL ISRAEL NEWS, and is reposted with permission.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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