Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attacked Israel on Wednesday in a speech to his parliamentary faction, saying that "no power can wag a finger at Turkey and its president."
Responding to a series of statements over the weekend by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said Erdogan was "slaughtering the Kurds," Erdogan said: "I remind the baby killers who insult me and our country on social media of some truths once again."
"If there is peace in the region, it will be achieved despite this Zionist regime," he added.
Turkish President Erdogan:
I remind the baby killers who insult me and our country on social media of some truths once again.
The Republic of Türkiye is not an ordinary state. No power can wag a finger at Türkiye or at the President of Türkiye. pic.twitter.com/BcdaRrhmeW
— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 15, 2026
His remarks came after a furor erupted over the weekend when prosecutors in Istanbul announced they had filed indictments against Netanyahu and 35 other Israeli officials over the interception of the Gaza flotilla.
"They dare to slander our country through our Kurdish brothers without looking at the blood of 73,000 Gazans staining their hands and faces," Erdogan said. "We will continue to call evil evil and a murderer a murderer, and we will continue to listen to the cries of Palestinian mothers."
Among other things, Erdogan praised Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is known for his anti-Israel positions and who, Erdogan said, "stands tall against Netanyahu," whom he called "the butcher of Gaza."
Referring to the negotiations between the US and Iran and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, Erdogan said that "despite the difficulties, we have not lost hope. There may be difficulties, but we are always ready to be a voice for peace. Negotiations cannot be conducted with a clenched fist. Diplomacy must be allowed to prevail."
