Türkiye to continue raising Palestinian cause at every forum: Erdoğan

ANKARA

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday said that criticism of Israel is growing day by day, and international pressure is increasing, adding that Ankara will continue to raise the Palestinian cause at every forum.

Talking to his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara, President Erdoğan said Israel continues to undermine peace, vowing that Türkiye will be the voice of Palestine at the U.N. General Assembly.

Erdoğan said Israel’s Gaza offensive marked a "new phase of genocide," and warned that it threatens both Palestine and regional stability, citing Qatar as an example.

Commenting on Israel’s ongoing aggression, President Erdoğan underlined that an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and ending the humanitarian crisis is Türkiye’s priority.

He underlined the unity in the Islamic world against Israel and the need for Palestinian political unity.

Both leaders also discussed bilateral, regional and global issues during the meeting.

Abbas last visited Türkiye on Aug. 14-15, 2024, when he met with Erdoğan and addressed the Turkish parliament.

Earlier in the day, Erdoğan referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the “butcher of Gaza” during an event in Ankara.

“Netanyahu and his network of massacres know no bounds in their cruelty and barbarity, attacking a new country every day,” Erdoğan said.

“The strongest reaction to this genocide, which has been carried out before the eyes of all humanity for 23 months, is once again rising from the Turkish nation and the Turkish Republic.”

Erdoğan added that Türkiye is a country capable of “not taking history lessons from anyone.”

“We have been here for a thousand years, and we will be here until the end of time,” he said. “We are homeowners on these lands. Imperialist and Zionist blood thirsters will not achieve their insidious goals.”

During an event on Sept. 17, Erdoğan pledged that Türkiye would stand firm against those seeking to spread instability in the region, while sharply criticizing Israel’s military actions.

“We have no time for empty rhetoric and cheap polemics. Today, Türkiye is a country capable of setting and implementing its own agenda both domestically and regionally,” he said in Ankara.

"We will stand firm today and tomorrow against those who seek to turn our region into a sea of blood, those who fuel instability in our geography."

Türkiye has taken steps to cut trade with Israel since the conflict began in October 2023. By May 2024, trade had dropped by about 30 percent.

In April, Ankara halted exports to Israel in more than 1,000 products under 54 categories before imposing a full suspension of exports, imports and transit trade across all product groups three weeks later.

On June 7, Türkiye and the Palestinian Authority launched a controlled trade mechanism for urgent needs under the “Türkiye-Palestine State Protocol.”

Earlier this year, the Trade Ministry dismissed claims that commerce with Israel continued, describing such allegations as "lies."