Erdogan intensifies rhetoric against Israel, Israel calls him a ‘megalomaniacal dictator’

· April 20, 2026

Erdogan’s harsh rhetoric is considered to be part of his ongoing narrative attempting to position Turkey as a staunch defender of Palestinian rights.

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan speaks after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Turkey, March 9, 2026.

(photo credit: Mustafa Kamaci/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS)

ByTOBIAS SIEGAL

The Jerusalem Post

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday accused Israel of carrying out atrocities in Palestine and Lebanon, sharpening his anti-Israel rhetoric and prompting a combative response from Israeli lawmakers amid rising tensions between Jerusalem and Ankara.

“The blood-stained genocide network continues to kill innocent children, women, and civilians without any rule or principle, ignoring all kinds of human values,” Erdogan alleged while addressing the International Asia-Political Parties Conference in Istanbul.

“Despite the ceasefire, Israel has forced 1.2 million Lebanese to leave their homes due to attacks on civilian settlements,” Erdogan said, despite both Israel and the United States rejecting claims of Lebanon being included in the current ceasefire with Iran. Erdogan went on to describe Israeli actions as “barbaric,” while citing a controversial law recently passed by the Knesset to approve death penalties against terrorists, which the Turkish leader said was meant “only for Palestinian prisoners.”

Erdogan’s harsh rhetoric is considered to be part of his ongoing narrative attempting to position Turkey as a staunch defender of Palestinian rights.

Israeli minister warns of cutting ties with Ankara

Responding to his comments, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu (Otzma Yehudit) sharply condemned Erdogan’s remarks and moral high ground and accused the Turkish leader of hypocrisy, noting Turkey’s history of territorial aggression in Cyprus and its treatment of minorities, particularly the Kurds.

“Turkey, which conquered Northern Cyprus and controls Kurdish territories in the east, dares to lecture us on morality. Turkey, which built its economy on the Armenian Genocide, dares to accuse us of genocide. Turkey, which enforces Islamization by force, dares to speak about human rights,” Eliyahu said in a statement.

“The hypocritical Erdogan doesn’t impress anyone with this current circus,” he continued, describing the Turkish president as a “megalomaniacal dictator” with “imperialist ambitions” who sees himself as “an Ottoman Sultan while being no more than a pathetic tyrant of a country with a collapsing economy and a dead democracy.”

Eliyahu’s remarks went further than only criticizing Erdogan, implying that it was time for Israel and Turkey to “close this sad chapter of relations” and vowing to bring a proposal before the Israeli government to sever diplomatic ties with Turkey completely.

In his post, Eliyahu shared what appears to be an AI-edited image depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planting an Israeli flag on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, while Erdogan is shown bending at Netanyahu’s feet, possibly referencing Erdogan’s controversial past statements asserting that Jerusalem belongs to Turkey.

Escalation follows Turkish indictment against Israeli lawmakers

The heated exchange follows a Friday decision by a Turkish court to indict Netanyahu and 35 other Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, for their role in the naval interception of the October 2025 Sumud Gaza flotilla. Istanbul’s chief prosecutor accused those indicted of having been involved in a military operation against civilians in international waters.

The flotilla’s participants, including prominent activists like Greta Thunberg, were detained by Israeli authorities, and the fallout led to Turkey’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and others.

This indictment, which seeks lengthy prison sentences for those involved in the flotilla interception, has escalated tensions. Erdogan’s government claims to be upholding international law by holding Israeli officials accountable, while Israeli officials, including Netanyahu and Katz, have responded by labeling Erdogan as a “paper tiger” and accusing him of hypocrisy and complicity in regional conflicts.

Netanyahu, Katz, and Ben-Gvir all responded to the indictment on Saturday in separate posts on X/Twitter, with Netanyahu accusing Erdogan of having “massacred his own Kurdish citizens” and Ben-Gvir posting, “Erdogan, do you understand English? F*** you.”

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry responded to said posts by accusing Netanyahu of being “the Hitler of our time.”

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