Israel to face accountability for oppression against Palestinians: Erdogan

Israel will be held accountable for all oppression it has caused in Palestine since World War II, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, adding that there would be "no escape" from this.

"The more the Israeli administration escalates its oppression, the heavier the price it will pay," Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara on Wednesday.

"Israeli rulers will sooner or later be tried in the court of humanity, suffer the punishment they deserve, and take their place in the dustbin of history," he added.

Erdogan also criticised the US and Europe for their "unlimited support" to Israel, saying that, had they not given their backing, "rulers of this terrorist state could not act recklessly."

Criticising the West's stance

The West has clearly demonstrated that it only cares about its prosperity, and is complicit in the brutality in Gaza, acting solely on its inherent barbaric instincts, Erdogan said.

"Institutions like the UN Security Council, displaying their impotence, have strayed from being the common roof of humanity," said Erdogan, adding that "sincere support" from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also been thwarted by permanent members.

"To mercilessly kill innocent children, women, unarmed, and helpless people with the world's most modern war machines is wretchedness exclusive to cowardly leaders like those in Israel.

"It is certain that Israel, with its trembling heart and legs in the face of a handful of civilians in Gaza, will be shattered when confronted with a real army, a real power. We hope that the Israeli government gathers its senses before such a painful fate becomes necessary," the Turkish president said.

The only way to bring peace to the region is through the establishment of an independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders, he added.

Israel resumed its military offensive on the Palestinian territory on Friday after the end of a weeklong humanitarian pause with the Palestinian group Hamas.

At least 16,248 Palestinians have been killed and more than 43,616 others injured in relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave since October 7 following a cross-border attack by Hamas.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stood at 1,200, according to official figures.

The fight with PKK terrorism

The President Erdogan remarked on Türkiye's commitment to fight with terrorism, following the operation of Turkish security forces “neutralising” 11 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq in the Operation Claw Lock zone on Wednesday.

Türkiye will not allow terror organisations along its southern Syria border, and northern Iraq, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, reiterating Ankara's resolute fight against terrorism.

"We will by no means allow a terrorist organisation in Türkiye's south, Syria's north, or Iraq's north to exist," Erdogan said after the Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.

Turning to Syria's northern city of Tel Rifaat, Erdogan said Türkiye is successfully implementing its strategy to eliminate terrorism at its source, and a climate of peace and security prevails in the regions that Ankara cleared of terrorists in northern Syria.

"We will ultimately secure the places near our border where terrorists cluster, particularly Tel Rifaat," he added.

About Türkiye's Operation Claw Lock in northern Iraq, Erdogan said: "We constantly increase the pressure on terrorists with our point operations from air and land."

Turkish authorities use the term "neutralise" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock last year in April to target the PKK terror group’s hideouts in the Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq, located near the Turkish border.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US, and EU — has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.