Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will eventually be tried as a war criminal for Israel’s ongoing military actions in the Gaza Strip. Speaking at a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) committee in Istanbul, Erdogan criticized Western countries supporting Israel and accused them of providing “unconditional support to kill babies” while being complicit in the alleged crimes.
Erdogan, who supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, strongly condemned Israel’s campaign in Gaza, launched in response to attacks by the militant group Hamas on October 7. According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 15,500 people have lost their lives in the Israeli air and ground operations.
In his speech, Erdogan compared Netanyahu to former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, stating, “Beyond being a war criminal, Netanyahu, who is the butcher of Gaza right now, will be tried as the butcher of Gaza, just as Milosevic was tried.”
The Turkish leader criticized Western powers, describing them as “blind and deaf” for justifying the civilian casualties in Gaza by citing the presence of Hamas. Turkey, unlike many of its Western allies, does not consider Hamas a terrorist group and hosts some of its members.
Erdogan highlighted the role of a contact group of Muslim countries formed by the OIC and Arab League to hold talks on Gaza with Western nations. He emphasized the need to evaluate the United Nations Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court within this framework. Erdogan also called for attention to Israel’s nuclear arsenal and urged urgent reform of the United Nations Security Council, arguing that the current structure fails to represent the world and bring peace or hope to humanity.
The Turkish president accused the Security Council’s five permanent members—the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France—of sabotaging sincere efforts by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, asserting that this system is unacceptable.
