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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believes that Islamic countries need to form an alliance. He has to face the alleged "constantly growing threat from Israel". Ankara has already taken steps to improve ties with Egypt and Syria.
Erdogan said this at the event of the association of Islamic schools near Istanbul, Reuters reports. Erdogan's statement was a reaction to the death of an American woman of Turkish origin who took part in a protest against the expansion of settlements on the West Bank of the Jordan River on September 6. This is claimed by Palestine and Turkey. The Israeli military responded that they were still investigating reports that a foreign woman had been killed allegedly as a result of shelling.
"The only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry and state terrorism is the union of Islamic states," Erdogan emphasized.
The Turkish president claims that the latest steps taken by Ankara to improve ties with Egypt and Syria are aimed at "forming a line of solidarity against the threat of expansionism." Israeli expansionism, he said, also threatens Lebanon and Syria.
Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in response that Erdogan's remarks were "dangerous lies and incitement", quoted by Reuters. The diplomat recalled that the Turkish leader had cooperated with Iran for years to undermine moderate Arab regimes in the region.
What Erdogan says about the war between Israel and Hamas
Turkish President Recep Erdogan threatened Israel with an invasion on July 28. He suggested that "Turkey can enter Israel."
"We have to be very strong so that Israel cannot do this to Palestine. Just as we entered Karabakh, we entered Libya, we will do the same with them. There is nothing that cannot be done. We just have to be strong to be able to take these steps," Erdogan said.
Recently, Erdogan, not for the first time, compared Israel to Nazi Germany, and also stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is allegedly no different from Adolf Hitler. Instead, the Turkish leader called Hamas a national liberation movement "fighting for the protection of its lands and citizens" and refused to recognize it as a terrorist organization. Therefore, Ankara does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
