Netanyahu rips ‘antisemitic dictator’ after Turkey seeks to arrest him and dozens of Israeli officials

Netanyahu turns the tables on Erdogan, pointing to his treatment of the Kurds, support for Hamas, occupation of northern Cyprus and crackdown on political opponents.

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned the tables on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, attacking the Turkish leader’s record on Hamas, the Kurds, Cyprus and political dissent after Ankara sought international arrest warrants against Netanyahu in a case targeting dozens of Israelis.

“Erdogan is an antisemitic dictator who has massacred Kurds, harbors Hamas terrorists, occupies half of Cyprus, and jails record numbers of journalists and politicians who oppose him,” Netanyahu’s office said.

“He now seeks to extend his aggression against Israel into Syria. Israel will not tolerate it.”

Netanyahu also dismissed Erdogan’s effort to use international law enforcement against Israeli leaders and soldiers.

“Erdogan’s pathetic attempt to intimidate the leaders and soldiers of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, will go nowhere,” his office said.

The comments followed Turkey’s announcement that it was seeking Interpol Red Notices for Netanyahu and Israeli official Afek Moskovitch.

The move is part of a Turkish criminal case involving 35 defendants over Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which attempted to reach the Gaza Strip in May.

Turkish prosecutors have accused Netanyahu and other Israelis of offenses including genocide, crimes against humanity and torture.

The accusations have now given Netanyahu an opportunity to put Erdogan’s own record under scrutiny.

Erdogan’s embrace of Hamas

Central to Netanyahu’s attack was Erdogan’s longstanding relationship with Hamas.

Erdogan has repeatedly defended Hamas and maintained relations with its senior leadership, even after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel.

Senior Hamas officials have been received in Turkey, and Erdogan has publicly rejected describing the group as a terrorist organization.

Netanyahu pointed directly to that relationship Friday, accusing the Turkish leader of harboring Hamas terrorists.

Kurds, Cyprus and Erdogan’s opponents

Netanyahu also broadened his attack well beyond Erdogan’s relationship with Hamas.

He accused the Turkish president of having “massacred Kurds,” a reference to Ankara’s long-running conflict with Kurdish groups and military campaigns against Kurdish forces both inside Turkey and across its borders.

Netanyahu also highlighted Turkey’s control of northern Cyprus.

Turkish forces invaded Cyprus in 1974 and Turkey continues to maintain a significant military presence in the island’s north. The Turkish-backed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognized as an independent state only by Turkey.

Netanyahu’s reference to jailed journalists and politicians pointed to another frequent source of international criticism of Erdogan.

Over Erdogan’s years in power, Turkish authorities have arrested and prosecuted journalists, opposition politicians and government critics, while steadily eroding the country’s democratic institutions.

For Netanyahu, those issues formed the basis of a simple counterargument: Erdogan is in no position to lecture Israel about democracy or human rights.

Turkey tries to bring in Interpol

Turkey’s latest move seeks to take its campaign against Netanyahu beyond its own courts.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said Ankara had requested that Interpol issue Red Notices for Netanyahu and Moskovitch.

A Red Notice asks law-enforcement authorities in Interpol member countries to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending possible extradition or other legal action.

The Turkish case stems from Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in May.

The flotilla attempted to sail to Gaza in defiance of Israel’s naval blockade, which is necessary to prevent weapons and military supplies from reaching Hamas.

The case before Istanbul’s 11th High Criminal Court involves 35 defendants.

A much bigger confrontation

Netanyahu’s response also made clear that the dispute is no longer simply about Gaza.

His warning that Erdogan is attempting to “extend his aggression against Israel into Syria” comes amid an increasingly open struggle between Israel and Turkey over the future of Israel’s northern neighbor.

Israel carried out strikes this week against the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northern Syria amid concerns over a growing Turkish military presence.

Netanyahu said following the strike that Israel would not tolerate Turkish military entrenchment moving southward in Syria because it could threaten the Jewish state.

Ankara has emerged as a major supporter of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government, while Israel has grown increasingly concerned that Turkey could use its influence in Syria to establish military capabilities closer to Israel.

The rivalry has transformed what was already a bitter diplomatic dispute into a potential strategic confrontation.

Netanyahu made clear Friday that he has no intention of being intimidated.

Turkey’s effort, he said, “will go nowhere.”