How Does Netanyahu Differ from Hitler? – Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan
“Is there anything Netanyahu does that is less than Hitler? No.” – Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has likened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Germany’s Adolf Hitler, questioning how Israel’s actions in Gaza are different from the Nazi leader’s atrocities decades ago.
Speaking at an awards ceremony in Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan asked what difference there was between Netanyahu and Hitler.
“Before our very eyes, in 80 days, we’ve watched all of humanity’s values be destroyed. We saw in the stadiums, Israel’s Nazi camps, didn’t we?” asked Erdogan.
He added, “How do you (Netanyahu) differ from Hitler? These (actions) will make us look for Hitler as well. Is there anything Netanyahu does that is less than Hitler? No.”
Erdogan, whose criticism of Israel has been consistent over the past few weeks, questioned “the West’s” support of Tel Aviv.
“He (Netanyahu) is receiving support from the West. All sorts of support come from America. And what did they do with all this support? They killed 20,000 people in Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 21,110 Palestinians have been killed, and 55,243 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7. Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
Erdogan said Germany is still paying the price for Hitler’s actions.
“That’s why Germany doesn’t raise its voice. Its head is bowed,” he said. “But we don’t owe anyone anything.”
He further said a “witch hunt” has been initiated against anyone criticizing Israel, including students, in many internationally renowned educational institutions, the Anadolu news agency reports.
‘Top Institutions Have Failed Gaza’
The Turkish president said to those facing pressure for “defending human dignity,” in Gaza, “The doors of Turkish universities are wide open to you.”
“We realized that the institutions that talk big and spend big budgets are completely hollow when it comes to Israel and its atrocities,” the president reportedly said.
“From the UN Security Council to press organizations, from the EU to journalist groups, all institutions that serve as apostles of democracy have failed (over the Israeli attacks on Gaza),” Erdogan said.
“Can you imagine university presidents are being questioned and held accountable in Congress just because they advocate for the rights of children, women, and civilians?” he asked.
“The slightest criticism, even within the limits of law and democracy, is suppressed by attaching the label of antisemitism, and is considered a crime.”
Earlier in December, the presidents of Harvard, Pennsylvania and MIT universities testified to the US Congress over antisemitism on campuses.
All Efforts Have Failed Gaza
“We are following with a heavy heart the massacre of 2.5 million people confined to a narrow area of only 360 square kilometers,” he said.
“Despite the diplomatic efforts made by conscientious countries such as Türkiye, unfortunately, we couldn’t prevent the killing of hundreds of Gazans every day,” Erdogan lamented.
“Despite our aid, efforts, and contacts, as a Muslim and, most importantly, as a human being, we are experiencing the embarrassment of not being able to stop this oppression within our own conscience,” the president reportedly said.
Israel’s onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure reportedly damaged or destroyed. Nearly 2 million Palestinians are displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.
(PC, ANADOLU)