Turkish aid agency caught in Netanyahu-Erdogan crossfire
Israel's National Security Council has advised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to react to the recent vitriol from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with sanctions against a Turkish aid agency.
The Knesset approved Israel’s new "nationality law" on July 19, upholding the Jewish character of the State of Israel. The controversial law has generated varied reactions inside Israel and abroad. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted especially harshly.
On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to Erdogan's outburst against the new law was relatively mild, although Erdogan’s anti-Israel rhetoric was harsher than usual.
Addressing members of his ruling party in parliament on July 24, Erdogan compared Israel’s actions to those of Nazi Germany. “There is no difference between Hitler’s Aryan race obsession and Israel’s view that all ancient lands belong to Jews only. Hitler’s spirit has re-emerged among certain senior officials in Israel,” he said to wild applause.
Netanyahu responded that Erdogan's criticism is "the greatest compliment,” saying, “Turkey under Erdogan is becoming a dark dictatorship, while Israel is meticulously maintaining equal rights for all its citizens, before and after the law.”
