Turkey and Germany support different sides in the Gaza conflict. The leaders of the states met in a tense atmosphere in Berlin on Friday.
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized Israel on Friday and demanded that it stop hostilities against Hamas.
Erdoğan criticized Israel during a meeting with the German chancellor By Olaf Scholz in Berlin.
The talks between the heads of state are dominated by the conflict in Gaza, where Germany and Turkey have placed themselves on opposite sides.
So far, Erdoğan has not condemned Hamas’ October attack on Israel, but has instead criticized Israel’s counterattack on Gaza. The Turkish president has previously called Israel a “terrorist state” and characterized the Hamas members who rule Gaza as “liberators”.
The same talks continued on Friday in Berlin.
Speaking at the press conference, Erdoğan demands Israel to stop hostilities against Hamas fighters and agree to a ceasefire.
According to the Turkish president, the tenets of Judaism do not justify the violence seen in Gaza.
– Shooting up hospitals or killing children is not found in the Torah, it cannot be done, Erdoğan declared.
Germany supports Israel
Since the beginning of the conflict, Germany has defended Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorists by attacking Gaza. Since the Holocaust, supporting Israel has been one of the main pillars of German foreign policy.
Chancellor Scholz repeated this at the press conference.
– Israel’s right to defend itself should not be called into question, Scholz formulated.
Scholz had already invited Erdoğan to visit Germany in May, before the latest phase of the Gaza conflict.
There are close trade relations between Germany and Turkey and over the decades many Turks have found a new homeland in Germany. An estimated three million German residents have a Turkish background.
The majority of Turkish citizens living in Germany voted for Erdoğan in May’s presidential election, the BBC reported.
Source: AFP, Reuters