US condemns Erdogan remarks toward Israel as anti-Semitic
The US State Department Tuesday condemned comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as anti-Semitic, a claim Ankara officials refuted and said distracts from ongoing violence in Israel.
ISTANBUL — As fighting between Israel and Hamas continues, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan drew backlash from Washington Tuesday for speaking out against the violence that has caused more than 200 deaths, the vast majority of them Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes.
During a televised speech Monday, Erdogan criticized the ongoing conflict and said he had spoken to a “Jewish prime minister” during a past visit who told him it was the “greatest pleasure” to kill Palestinians when the unnamed official served as a general in the Israel Defense Forces.
Erdogan said, “This is part of their nature" and “they are only satisfied by sucking blood."
Without specifically citing the comments, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price condemned Erdogan’s rhetoric as “anti-Semitic” and called it “reprehensible” in a statement issued Tuesday.
