&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Erdogan calls Benjamin Netanyahu a ‘tyrant’ says Gaza conflict has cast shadow over Eid celebrations")
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Wednesday, condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the prayer marking the celebration of Eid al-Adha. While talking to reporters, he labelled the Israeli Prime Minister as a “tyrant”. In the message, Erdogan said that he believes that Netanyahu would learn the necessary lesson from the “muslim world”.Erdogan was speaking to reporters from Istanbul's Çamlıca Mosque. He said that what's unfolding in Gaza casts a shadow over what should be a time of unity and celebration across the muslim world.
"We experienced Palestine, we experienced Gaza... What is happening in Palestine and Gaza represents for us a different vigil and reflection during this holiday,” said Erdogan. “To all our brothers and sisters who are welcoming this holiday with sadness, pain and deep sorrow in different corners of our spiritual geography, particularly those in Gaza, I extend my strongest messages of solidarity on behalf of myself and my nation, and I congratulate them individually on Eid al-Adha,” he added.
The Turkish president said Eid al-Adha was a “holiday of submission and devotion,” emphasising themes of solidarity and togetherness among the Muslims gathering for the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. In a separate Eid message shared on X, Erdoğan extended greetings to people in Gaza and across what he called Türkiye’s “geography of the heart,” saying many were spending the holiday in grief and pain.
Turkiye had been one of the most outspoken critics of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, with Erdogan repeatedly calling for a ceasefire and expanding humanitarian aid access and international pressure on Israel. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously rejected the moral authority of Erdogan, calling him a dictator and tyrant. The Eid message also follows that pattern of remarks from Ankara towards Israel. Turkey has previously severed trade ties with Israel and urged the international community to impose diplomatic, military, and economic sanctions against Israel.
