Türkiye on Friday strongly condemned remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accusing the Israeli government of resorting to political rhetoric and escalating regional tensions to deflect attention from allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications described the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office’s statements as “outrageous ravings” lacking historical basis and political seriousness, saying they demonstrated the Israeli government’s inability to confront international criticism.

“The outrageous ravings of the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office targeting our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, devoid of historical fact and political seriousness, are yet another indication of the helplessness of an administration seeking to evade accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity,” the directorate said in a statement.

Ankara accused Netanyahu and his allies of using what it described as “cheap politics” for domestic political gain, arguing that such rhetoric carried little weight domestically, regionally or internationally.

The Turkish statement also pointed to allegations of genocide facing Israel before international judicial mechanisms, saying the Israeli government's response to Türkiye’s criticism reflected its discomfort with Ankara’s position.

“These disgraceful remarks by an administration awaiting accountability before international justice mechanisms over accusations of genocide are a telling testament to who is disturbed, and to what extent, by Türkiye’s voice and our President’s unwavering stance in the face of truth,” the statement said.

Türkiye also linked the Israeli government's latest remarks to an increasingly hard-line political climate in Israel.

“As has become increasingly evident in recent days, the election campaign in Israel has come to be dominated by irresponsible security-driven populism and an increasingly hard-line politics of threats,” the Communications Directorate said.

Ankara said Netanyahu's attempt to portray Türkiye as a new threat was part of the same domestic political strategy.

“The Netanyahu administration’s attempt to portray Türkiye as a new threat is also part of this cheap political strategy,” it said.

The Turkish government warned that using threats and heightened tensions for domestic political competition could have consequences extending beyond Israel’s internal politics.

“This politics of threats and effort to escalate tensions for the sake of domestic political competition pose serious risks not only to Israeli society, but also to regional and global peace and stability,” the statement said.

Ankara reaffirmed that it would continue opposing violations of international law and supporting Palestinians amid the ongoing Israeli genocidal aggression.

“Türkiye will continue, as it has in the past, to stand against the oppressor and with the oppressed, and to resolutely defend peace, justice and stability in our region, whatever the cost,” the Directorate of Communications said.

The exchange marks another escalation in the increasingly strained rhetoric between Ankara and the Netanyahu government, with Erdoğan having repeatedly criticized Israel’s genocidal operations in Gaza and called for international action over alleged violations of international law.

Türkiye has consistently called for an immediate end to the violence in Gaza, expanded humanitarian assistance to Palestinians and accountability for alleged violations of international law. (ILKHA)