ANKARA – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has accused U.S. President Joe Biden and his administration of being complicit in what he termed Israeli war crimes and violations of international law in the Gaza conflict, calling for sanctions against Israel.
In an interview with Newsweek during the NATO summit in Washington, Erdogan condemned Israel’s actions, labeling the strikes on civilians, hospitals, and aid centers as war crimes. “The U.S. administration, however, disregards these violations and provides Israel with the most support. They do so at the expense of being complicit in these violations,” Erdogan stated.
He questioned the lack of sanctions against Israel, asking, “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.” Israel has consistently denied allegations of war crimes in its conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, asserting that it does not deliberately target civilians.
According to Gaza medical authorities, more than 38,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since the war began on October 7. The conflict was triggered by a cross-border Hamas raid that resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 Israelis.
NATO member Turkey has condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, halted trade with Israel, and expressed support for Hamas. Turkey has also criticized Western countries for their support of Israel and called for international courts to hold Israel accountable.
When asked about Turkey’s relations with Russia and China, and its involvement with the BRICS group and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Erdogan emphasized Turkey’s “win-win” diplomatic approach. “We are an unwavering NATO ally. However, we do not believe that this impedes our ability to establish positive relationships with nations such as China and Russia,” he told Newsweek.