Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the United States of ignoring Israel’s deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure in Gaza, arguing that both President Joe Biden and his administration are complicit in Israeli war crimes.
During an interview with Newsweek on Thursday at the NATO summit in Washington, Erdogan stated that Israel’s “deliberate” attacks on civilian infrastructure in Gaza constitute war crimes, a claim Israel has vehemently denied.
“The brutal murder of innocent people in hospitals where they go for treatment, in ambulances, in market places, in centers where humanitarian aid is distributed, and in areas defined as safe is the gravest violation of human rights,” Erdogan declared.
However, according to the Turkish president, the Biden administration “disregards these violations and provides Israel with the most support.”
“They do so at the expense of being complicit in these violations,” Erdogan added.
Türkiye, a NATO member, has consistently condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza and criticized Western governments for their continued support of Israel. Ankara severed trade ties with Israel soon after the conflict began last October. Speaking to Newsweek, Erdogan also reiterated his call for sanctions against Israel.
“At this juncture, who will impose what kind of sanction against Israel for violating international law? That is the real question and no one is answering that,” he said.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll from Israel’s eight-month offensive in Gaza has surpassed 38,000 people.
Erdogan also reaffirmed his stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, stating that Western leaders were adopting potentially dangerous approaches to both conflicts, which could escalate into larger confrontations.
“The attitude of some of our Western allies towards Russia has only fuelled the fire,” he argued. “This has resulted in more harm than good for Ukraine.”
The Turkish leader asserted that the solution to the Ukraine conflict should be a “lasting peace achieved through dialogue.”