“Erdogan presents himself as a leader of the Islamic world, supporting Hamas in the heart of Europe.”
During a joint news conference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan implied that Germany’s support for Israel during the Gaza war stemmed from guilt over the Holocaust, contrasting it with Turkey’s purported impartiality. Erdogan asserted that he freely expressed his views since Turkey owed nothing to Israel, suggesting that those feeling indebted couldn’t speak freely. He criticized Israel as a “terror state,” accusing it of war crimes in Gaza and condemned Germany’s strong support for Israel, considering it related to Germany’s deep remorse for the Holocaust.
Chancellor Scholz refrained from directly addressing Erdogan’s comments but reiterated Germany’s unwavering solidarity with Israel’s right to self-defense. Erdogan’s visit, his first to Germany in four years, coincided with his party’s upcoming local elections and focused on potential benefits for Turkey, such as modernizing the customs union with the European Union and visa-free travel for Turks.
However, discussions were overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas conflict. As tensions escalated between Israel and Hamas, Germany faced challenges of rising antisemitism and Islamophobia. The leaders emphasized areas of mutual interest, including economic ties, while Erdogan hinted at seeking fighter jets from other sources if Germany didn’t approve the sale of Eurofighter warplanes, and urged final approval for Sweden’s accession to NATO, an issue pending in the Turkish parliament.
These discussions occurred against the backdrop of strained relations due to differing stances on the Israel-Palestine conflict and broader diplomatic concerns between Turkey, Germany, and the European Union.
