Israeli Minister Hits Back at Erdogan: What About the Armenian Genocide?

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) hit back at Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, after the latter accused Israel of attempting a “systematic genocide” of Palestinian Arabs in Gaza, in his strongest attack yet on the Jewish state over self-defense campaign Operation Protective Edge.

In a post on his Facebook page, Katz reminded Erodgan of the Armenian Genocide, when in 1915 more than a million Armenians were murdered by Ottoman troops.

“In 1915 the Turks massacred a million and a half Armenians and he accuses us, who are fighting his friends in the Islamic movement, of genocide? Who wants a relationship with such a person?” wrote Katz.

In Thursday’s remarks, Erdogan said, “We are witnessing this systematic genocide every Ramadan. The Western world remains silent; so does the Islamic world.”

“Because those who lost their lives are Palestinian, you can’t hear their voices,” he added.

Erdogan has become increasingly vocal over the operation, and threatened to end the normalization process with Israel over “state terrorism.”

He has also accused Israel of “lies” because “not enough” Israeli Jews have died in the conflict and has compared Jewish Home MK Ayelet Shaked to Adolf Hitler.

In April, Erdogan offered condolences to the grandchildren of the Armenians who were murdered by Ottoman troops.