Israel committing ‘crimes against humanity’ with Western backing, Erdogan says

“The Israeli administration, backed with unconditional support by Europe and America, has been committing crimes against humanity in front of the entire world for exactly 25 days,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Speaking to media after meeting with his cabinet in Ankara, Erdogan said that “the West, particularly European countries, has once again failed the test of humanity in Gaza.”

“Israel, which seems to have completely gone out of its senses and acts like an organization, must be thwarted as soon as possible.”

Noting that “as a result of Israel’s direct attacks on civilians, 8,500 Palestinians, mostly babies, children and women, have been martyred so far,” he added that the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital was “the most recent victim of Israeli barbarism.”

“We think that the establishment of a new security mechanism in cooperation with the regional actors is necessary. We are ready to take responsibility if such a step is taken,” the Turkish president said.

Erdogan, who last week remarked that Palestinian militant group Hamas was not a terrorist organization but a liberation group waging a battle to protect its land, said “no good can come to humanity or the world from the so-called defenders of rights who remain silent about Israel’s massacres.”

“Our discussions to ensure that the perpetrators of war crimes committed in Gaza are held accountable before the law are still underway,” he said.