Turkey accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of hypocrisy after he warned against countries seeking to revive imperial ambitions, during a trilateral summit in Jerusalem on Monday with the leaders of Greece and Cyprus.
Burhanettin Duran, head of the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate, said it was “ironic” for Israeli leaders to accuse others of imperialism while, according to Ankara, they are committing serious crimes in the region.
“It is ironic for Israeli leaders to speak about the imperial ambitions of others in this region while they have just committed one of the worst genocides in history,” Duran said in a statement on X on Tuesday.
Netanyahu’s remarks came during a high-profile summit in Jerusalem with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, where the three leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation on security, defense and maritime issues in the eastern Mediterranean, according to a report in the Times of Israel.
Standing alongside his counterparts, Netanyahu said countries that “fantasize they can reestablish their empires and their dominion over our lands” should “forget it,” in a statement widely interpreted as a reference to Turkey and its Ottoman past.
“We are committed and able to defend ourselves and our cooperation further enhances that capability.”
Duran described Israel as a destabilizing force and dismissed what he called Israel’s longstanding anxiety over Turkey’s regional influence as “comical.”
He said Turkey, under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership, had been a source of stability and peace, while accusing the Netanyahu government of bringing “blood and tears” to the Middle East.
Relations between Turkey and Israel have sharply deteriorated since the war in Gaza that began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Erdoğan has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, while Ankara has suspended trade with Israel, closed its airspace to Israeli aircraft and backed legal action against 37 Israeli officials, including Netanyahu.
Duran also accused Israel of disguising territorial ambitions as national security concerns, pointing to its continued occupation of Palestinian territories and parts of Syria.
“Israel has attacked some seven nations in the Middle East in the last two years,” Duran said, adding that Netanyahu’s leadership had been “a disaster not only for the region but also for the Israeli people.”
Turkey has also criticized growing security cooperation between Israel, Greece and Cyprus, particularly amid reports that the three countries are exploring the creation of a rapid-response military force in the eastern Mediterranean.
Relations between Turkey, Greece and Cyprus have long been strained by historical disputes, unresolved sovereignty issues and competing claims in the eastern Mediterranean.
Tensions frequently arise on maritime boundaries, energy exploration rights, airspace and the status of Cyprus, which has been divided since 1974, when Turkish forces intervened following a Greek-backed coup on the island.
Ankara recognizes only the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), while Greece and the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus view Turkey’s military presence in the north as an occupation, keeping relations among the three countries fragile despite periodic efforts at dialogue.
Duran also said Turkey would continue to support Palestinians and those seeking peace and stability in the region, adding that Netanyahu’s remarks would not alter Ankara’s position.
“No cheap shots and ridiculous statements like that of the Israeli prime minister will deter us from our support for our Palestinian brothers and sisters,” he said.
Erdoğan has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s war on Gaza but he has attracted frequent criticism for failing to match his rhetoric with action as his government faced accusations of continuing trade with Israel during the war, which claimed more than 70,000 lives in Gaza.
Turkish Minute