Holocaust deniers Erdogan and Netanyahu shamefully exploit the term genocide to denigrate themselves

For several decades, Israel and Turkey enjoyed a honeymoon period, supporting each other politically and economically.

However, over the years, their relations deteriorated due to their opposing positions on Palestinian issues. On several occasions, Israel and Turkey have withdrawn their ambassadors from their respective capitals due to such conflicts, only to reinstate them. In other words, they kissed and made up several times.

We all know the expression “Politics makes strange bedfellows.” Israel and Turkey are one of those odd political couples. Initially, their partnership was built on a foundation, more aptly described as mutual exploitation. Israel, surrounded by a large number of hostile Arab nations, needed Turkey as a political and economic ally, an Islamic nation that established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1949. Meanwhile, Turkey needed Israel to various reasons, including political support from the West, the purchase of advanced weapons and billions of dollars in trade.

Another aspect of this unholy union was that both countries denied the Armenian genocide. Turkey used its relations with Israel to convince the powerful Jewish lobby in the United States to block recognition of the Armenian genocide by the US Congress. Turkey pressured Israel to block the International Conference on the Holocaust and Genocide in Tel Aviv in 1982, to prevent the broadcast of a documentary on the Armenian genocide and its recognition by the Knesset. Turkey went so far as to threaten its domestic Jewish community and demand that Istanbul's chief rabbi pressure American Jewish organizations on Turkey's behalf.

In 2009, Erdogan told Israeli President Shimon Peres during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, before the gathering of world leaders: When it comes to killing, you know very well how to kill. I know very well how you killed children on the beaches [of Gaza].

Then the Mavi Marmara incident occurred in 2010, when the Israeli army attacked six Turkish civilian ships in the Mediterranean Sea that were trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, killing nine Turkish passengers. The raid seriously deteriorated Israeli-Turkish relations. Turkey recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv and expelled Israel's ambassador from Ankara. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and offered $20 million in compensation for the raid.

Shortly before Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, Israeli customs intercepted 16 tons of explosive materials intended to make missiles hidden in a Turkish shipment of construction materials destined for Gaza. Surprisingly, Israel has not taken any action against Turkey. It was yet another example of Israel's appeasement of Turkey's anti-Israeli actions. Rather than designating Turkey as a state sponsor of terrorism, Israeli leaders embraced Erdogan, encouraging him to continue his misdeeds.

Following Hamas' recent attack on Israel, Erdogan called Hamas freedom fighters and compared Netanyahu to Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin, today's Nazis.

In January 2024, the Israeli Foreign Minister tweeted: Turkish President Erdogan, from a country with an Armenian genocide in its past, is now bragging about targeting Israel with unfounded allegations. We remember the Armenians, the Kurds. Your story speaks for itself. Israel is in defense, not destruction, against your barbarian allies.

Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz summoned the Turkish envoy, Shakir Ozkan Torunlar, to complain about Erdogan's statement that he would send Netanyahu to Allah to take care of him, make him unhappy and curse him. Katz responded on X/Twitter: You [Erdogan] who support the cremation of babies, murderers, rapists and the mutilation of corpses by Hamas criminals, [are] the last one who can speak of God. There is no God who listens to those who support the atrocities and crimes against humanity committed by your barbaric friends in Hamas. Katz then scolded Erdogan: Shut up and shame on you!

The Turkish Foreign Ministry responded to Katz: Israel was built on occupied Palestinian land since its creation. Since the first day they occupied Palestinian lands, Israeli authorities have gone to great lengths to keep secret the serious crimes they have committed against Palestinians and have attempted to create an armor of immunity. They targeted our president, who speaks the truth.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry then accused Israel of committing genocide, saying that the entire world public opinion eagerly awaits the day when Israeli officials responsible for crimes will be brought to justice.

Earlier, Netanyahu, who himself does not recognize the Armenian genocide, criticized Erdogan for denying the genocide. Netanyahu tweeted: Israel, which adheres to the laws of war, will not accept the moral sermons of Erdogan, who supports the murderers and rapists of the terrorist organization Hamas, denies the Armenian Holocaust, massacres the Kurds in his own country and eliminates opponents of the regime and journalists. However, Netanyahu continues to arm Turkey's ally Azerbaijan with sophisticated weapons that have been used to commit further genocide against the Armenians of Artsakh.

In conclusion, Erdogan and Netanyahu should be ashamed of using the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust as a bargaining chip in their dispute.

Rather than using the term genocide as a stick to beat each other, Israel and Turkey should have recognized the Armenian genocide a long time ago, in order to be classified as civilized nations!