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Turkish Prime Minister says Israel is 'more barbaric than Hitler' Turkish Prime Minister says Israel is 'more barbaric than Hitler'
(about 3 hours later)
Turkey's prime minister has accused Israel of "barbarism that surpasses Hitler" during its ground invasion of Gaza. Turkey's Prime Minister has lambasted Israel's ground invasion of Gaza and accused the Israeli government of "barbarism that surpasses Hitler".
Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the comment during a campaign speech in the Black Sea port city of Ordu. Speaking at a political rally in the city of Ordu as part of his re-election campaign, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "(Israelis) have no conscience, no honour, no pride. Those who condemn Hitler day and night have surpassed Hitler in barbarism."
He is running for the presidency in elections next month and has been speaking out strongly against Israel during its offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza, which has killed more than 300 Palestinians. Erdogun ,who has been a vocal opponent of Israel’s operations in the Gaza Strip, has said that the Israel Defence Forces' actions have been "disproportionate" and would derail any efforts to try and foster better Turkish-Israeli relations.
Mr Erdogan accuses Israel of using disproportionate force and has said the operation there has derailed efforts to normalise Turkish-Israeli ties which soured after Israel's 2010 raid on an aid ship which killed eight Turks and a Turkish-American. The comments align with the general mood of anger in Turkey at Israel's continued offensive in Gaza, which has so far seen over 350 Palestinians killed.
Hundreds have also staged protests in recent days outside Israeli diplomatic mission in Ankara and Istanbul. Over the past three nights Turkish protesters have hit the streets of Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey’s to largest cities, to rally against Israel’s Operation Protective Edge.
Press Association On Friday, violent protests broke out between hundreds of protesters and riot police as protesters tried to enter the Israeli Embassy in Istanbul.
According to one report, protesters tore down the Israeli flag and replaced it with a Palestinian one.
Following the rallies, Israel’s government decided to reduce its staff in Turkey due to safety concerns.
Despite the anti-Israeli sentiment, Erdogan did insist that any anger felt towards Israel should not be taken out on Turkey's Jewish community.
He told supporters: "I don't approve of any (bad) attitude towards our Jewish citizens in Turkey, despite all this. Why? They are the citizens of this country,"
There has been growing hostility towards Turkey’s Jewish community as the number of dead Palestinians continues to climb.
On Friday U.S. representative Eliot Engel urged Erdogan to act after the same newspaper published an open letter calling on Turkish Jews to apologise for civilian casualties in Gaza.
The Isaraeli government subsequently sent out an official warning to its citizens advising them against travelling to Turkey while the mood remained hostile.