Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused Israel on Saturday of having “surpassed Hitler in barbarism” through its attacks on Gaza,
Erdoğan continued to ratchet up his rhetoric against Israel over its offensive, threatening to further harm already badly frayed relations between the two countries, once regional allies.
Hours earlier Israel advised its citizens against traveling to Turkey, citing “the public mood” after attacks on Israeli diplomatic missions during protests in İstanbul and Ankara against the Gaza offensive on Friday.
Palestinian officials say more than 330 people have been killed by Israeli strikes launched in response to rockets fired into Israeli territory by militants loyal to Hamas.
“(Israelis) have no conscience, no honor, no pride. Those who condemn Hitler day and night have surpassed Hitler in barbarism,” Erdoğan told supporters at a political rally in the Black Sea city of Ordu. He accused the United States of defending Israel’s “disproportionate” tactics, and bemoaned the failure of the Muslim world to take a stronger stance.