Israel heading into international isolation amid Gaza atrocities: Erdogan
"The times have changed," says Turkish President Erdogan, stressing that world opinion is shifting against Israel as more and more countries take a stance against its atrocities in Gaza.
Erdogan also spoke about his phone call with United States President Joe Biden on Thursday, during which he told Biden that now is the time for the US to step in and ensure a ceasefire in Gaza.
Israel has been heading towards international isolation amid its relentless attacks on Palestinians, and the trend will only grow in the coming days, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.
Speaking to reporters after performing Friday prayers in Istanbul, Erdogan expressed that "expecting goodwill from Israel is no longer possible," but the world opinion regarding Tel Aviv has changed.
Recalling the initial UN General Assembly vote over Israel's actions in Palestine's Gaza, Erdogan reminded that 121 countries had opposed Israel while 40 states abstained and 10 - including the United States - supported Tel Aviv.
"But now the times have changed," he added, expressing that more and more countries are taking a stance against Israel, and said: "This shows that Israel is now heading towards isolation. In the following days, this isolation will increase even more."
The UN General Assembly on December 12 overwhelmingly adopted a draft resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. The non-binding resolution passed with 153 votes in favour.
Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege, and mounted a ground offensive in the wake of a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7.
At least 18,787 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 51,000 injured in the Israeli onslaught, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
Phone call with Biden
Erdogan also spoke about his phone call with United States President Joe Biden on Thursday, during which they extensively discussed developments in Gaza. Erdogan told Biden that now is the time for the US to step in and ensure a ceasefire.
On the US sale of F-16s to Türkiye, Erdogan said Biden told him that he has a "positive perspective" on the matter and is ready to present his proposal to Congress.
After a protracted process to buy the latest model of F-16s and upgrade kits for older models, Erdogan has suggested that Türkiye and the US move to approve the F-16 sales and Sweden’s NATO membership bid at around the same time.
Biden said that the US values the decision the Turkish parliament will make on Sweden's membership in the bloc, Erdogan said.
The Turkish president told Biden that parliament stressed its honest approach to Sweden, as long as the Swedish government brings their approach to terrorism under control.
On Türkiye’s possible purchase of Eurofighter jets, Erdogan said the Turkish Defence Ministry is talking with relevant parties.
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