US complicit in Israeli war crimes – NATO member
US President Joe Biden and his administration are complicit in Israeli war crimes in Gaza, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has argued, while calling for sanctions against West Jerusalem.
In an interview with Newsweek on Thursday during the annual NATO summit in Washington, the Turkish leader said that Israel’s “deliberate” attacks on civilian infrastructure in Gaza constituted war crimes, something Israel has fiercely denied.
“The brutal murder of innocent people in hospitals where they go for treatment, in ambulances, in market places, in centers where humanitarian aid is distributed, and in areas defined as safe is the gravest violation of human rights,” Erdogan stated.
However, according to the Turkish president, the Biden administration “disregards these violations and provides Israel with the most support.”
“They do so at the expense of being complicit in these violations,” Erdogan added.
NATO member Türkiye has repeatedly condemned Israel’s assault on Gaza and criticized Western governments for their continued backing of Israel. Ankara halted trade with West Jerusalem soon after the conflict began last October. Speaking to Newsweek, Erdogan also reiterated his call to sanction Israel.
“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,” he said.
The death toll from the eight-month offensive by Israel in Gaza has surpassed 38,000 people, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.
Erdogan also reaffirmed his stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, saying that Western leaders were taking potentially dangerous approaches to both conflicts which could escalate into larger confrontations.
“The attitude of some of our Western allies towards Russia has only fueled the fire,” he argued. “This has resulted in more harm than good for Ukraine.”
According to the Turkish leader the solution to the Ukraine conflict should be a “lasting peace achieved through dialogue.”
