President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has raised the possibility that Turkey could enter Israel in support of the Palestinians, a significant step-up in his harsh words toward the Jewish state over the Gaza war.
But it was unclear whether his comments reflected any concrete plans by Turkey or were just intended to appeal to his political base.
“We should be very strong, so that Israel cannot do this stuff to Palestine,” Mr. Erdogan said on Sunday while addressing members of his ruling Justice and Development Party in the Black Sea city of Rize, his ancestral hometown.
“Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we can do similar to them,” he said, referring to Turkish support for Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia last year and his country’s military intervention in Libya.
“There is no reason not to do it,” he continued. “We must be strong to take these steps.”
Throughout the war in Gaza, Mr. Erdogan has stood up for Hamas, the armed Palestinian group that controlled Gaza and attacked Israel on Oct. 7, referring to it as “an organization of liberation” while harshly criticizing Israel. He has compared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler and called him a “psychopath” and a “vampire.”
Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel broke down in the early months of the war, and in May, Turkey announced that it was halting all trade with Israel.
Despite Mr. Erdogan’s statements and Turkey’s policy of allowing Hamas political figures to remain in the country, Turkey has played no military role in the Gaza conflict. But support for the Palestinians and anger at Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza are common in Turkish society.
Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, struck back at Mr. Erdogan on Sunday, accusing him on social media of following in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi strongman who was executed in 2006.
Omer Celik, the spokesman for Mr. Erdogan’s political party, responded by calling Mr. Katz a “Nazi.”
On Monday, Mr. Erdogan’s communication director, Fahrettin Altun, said on social media that Turkey was a “serious and responsible state committed to peace and stability in the region.”
