Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Israel-Palestine Conflict

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has positioned himself as one of the most vocal international critics of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, consistently demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire. He has accused Israel of committing genocide and deliberate starvation, stating that the values the West claims to defend are dying amidst the conflict. The Turkish President has repeatedly urged international bodies, including the United Nations, to take coercive measures against Israel to halt the offensive, which he has also compared to ethnic cleansing. His position is underpinned by a firm advocacy for a two-state solution based on 1967 borders, viewing Israeli settlement expansion as an impediment to genuine statehood for Palestinians.

Historically, relations between Türkiye and Israel have fluctuated significantly, marked by periods of close strategic cooperation, particularly when the Turkish military held greater political sway. However, following the October 7 attacks, Erdogan refused to condemn them, describing Hamas as a "resistance group," which further hardened his stance against the Israeli government. In response to the ongoing conflict, Ankara has taken tangible diplomatic steps, including cutting trade ties and joining South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, signaling a profound deterioration in bilateral ties, despite maintaining some engagement channels, such as offering to contribute to post-conflict stabilization efforts.