President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Saturday for Muslim countries to form an alliance against what he called “the growing threat of expansion” from Israel. Erdogan referred to an incident in which, according to Palestinian and Turkish officials, a woman with Turkish-American citizenship was killed by Israeli forces during a demonstration against “settlement expansion” in Judea and Samaria .
In a speech at an event organized by an organization of Islamic schools near Istanbul, Erdogan said: “The only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli bullying and Israeli state terrorism is an alliance of Muslim countries.” He added that the recent steps Turkey has taken to improve its relations with Egypt and Syria are aimed at “creating a line of solidarity against the growing threat of expansion”, which he says also threatens Lebanon and Syria.
In response to the words, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Yisarel Katz Because “Erdoğan continues to throw the Turkish people into the fire of hatred and violence for the sake of his friends from Hamas. Today he is calling on the Islamic countries to form an alliance against the State of Israel ‘which wants to conquer countries in the region as well as Turkey.’ And the Shiite axis of evil led by Iran. Erdogan and the Muslim Brotherhood have been working together with Iran for years to corrupt the moderate Arab regimes in the Middle East. It is better for Erdogan to shut up and be ashamed.”
Erdogan’s words come against the background of the visit of the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, to Ankara this week – the first presidential visit of its kind in 12 years. The two discussed the war in Gaza and ways to continue to restore relations between the countries. Relations between Turkey and Egypt began to thaw in 2020, as part of Turkish diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions with regional rivals, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
In addition, Erdogan said in July that Turkey would invite the president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, “at any time” for possible talks to renew relations between the two neighbors, who severed ties in 2011 with the outbreak of the civil war in Syria.