The Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has lashed out this Thursday against the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he has labeled a "paper sultan" and has "advised" to "stop playing with Israel," after accusing him of having delivered an "antisemitic speech" during his address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
"Erdogan is a 'paper sultan'. Strong in incendiary and antisemitic speeches, but weak in action. I advise him to stop playing with Israel," Katz pointed out, before adding that "the State of Israel is strong and knows how to take care of itself." "We are not the Kurds or the defenseless whom he abuses in Turkey," the minister warned.
In this vein, he harshly rejected the words of the Turkish leader before the UN and reproached him for "once again accusing Israel of being responsible for the fact that 'Gaza is the most inhumane concentration camp of our times'," according to a message he shared on his official social media.
"The man who hosts and finances the murderers and rapists of Hamas accuses Israel of acting in legitimate defense against that terrorist organization," Katz emphasized. "Erdogan knows how to deliver speeches and fantasize about restoring the Ottoman Empire, but when it comes down to it, he proves to be a 'paper sultan'," he reiterated, insisting on his criticisms of the Turkish leader.
"He has never responded to the missiles that Iran fired at Turkish territory and, although he signed a Mecca Agreement to defend Saudi Arabia, when the Houthis launched missiles at the city of Mecca, and his intervention was required, he simply disappeared," the Israeli Defense Minister concluded.
For his part, Erdogan stated on Tuesday, in his speech before the UN, that "over the last three years, 74,000 brothers and sisters in Gaza, mostly children and women, have fallen victim to the state terrorism of Israel." "The people of Gaza are still searching for their loved ones among the rubble," he denounced before the plenary.
"Innocent children who have lost arms and legs in Israeli attacks are trying to attend school and cling to life thanks to wooden prosthetics. In the hospitals of Gaza, more than 70% of generators are currently out of service due to fuel shortages," the Turkish president highlighted, describing the humanitarian situation in the Strip.
"Even after the ceasefire achieved thanks to the efforts of the president (American, Donald) Trump and the contributions of various countries, the number of Gazans who have died has surpassed 1,500," Erdogan recalled, before stating that "although the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has agreed to move to the second phase of the peace plan, the Israeli government refuses to stop the occupation."