Ankara Rejects Netanyahu's Accusations Against Turkey at the UN

Ankara rejected the accusations made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Turkey at the United Nations, deeming them “baseless,” according to a report by the official Turkish Anadolu Agency on Friday.

Before the start of his address to the General Assembly, dozens of members of various countries’ delegations walked out, while some delegates shouted and expressed disapproval. In response, Netanyahu said, “If there are any other moral cowards who have not left this hall, let them leave now.”

Netanyahu stated that “the newest country to become a hub for spreading anti-Semitic lies is Turkey,” adding, “Erdogan is a tyrant. He is hosting leaders of the Hamas terrorist movement.”

Earlier, Erdogan had urged world leaders to “exert greater pressure on Israel” over its war in Gaza and called on countries to recognize an independent Palestinian state.

Anadolu quoted Burhan Dinaren, director of communications at the Turkish Presidency, as strongly criticizing Netanyahu’s claims, describing them as “incompatible” with the values of the United Nations.

Dinaren said that Netanyahu’s use of the UN General Assembly platform to level “baseless accusations” against Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was inconsistent with the “principles of peace, law, and dialogue” that the UN represents.

He added that Netanyahu’s words could not “obscure the truth of the massacres being committed, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and the ongoing international legal proceedings.”