Turkey’s Erdoğan compares Israel’s Netanyahu to Hitler at UN assembly

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler on Tuesday, urging that he be stopped.

“Just as Hitler was stopped by the alliance of humanity 70 years ago, Netanyahu and his murder network must also be stopped by the alliance of humanity,” Erdoğan said during his speech at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

The Turkish president criticized the U.N. for failing to fulfill its original mission and instead becoming “a dysfunctional structure.”

Erdoğan said more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Oct. 7 invasion of Israel last year and its ensuing campaign in the Gaza Strip, while more than 17,000 children have been the targets of Israeli bullets and bombs.

“I call out the United Nations Security Council, what are you waiting for to prevent the genocide in Gaza? To put a stop to this cruelty and this barbarianism?” he asked.

Speaking just after President Joe Biden, Erdoğan also criticized U.S. policy in the region. “Those who are supposedly working for a ceasefire from this stage continue to send arms and ammunition to Israel so it can continue its massacres,” he said.

Erdoğan said that the states supporting Israel in “an unconditional manner” are also responsible for the situation in Gaza, and urged them to recognize the State of Palestine “as soon as possible.”

In July, Erdoğan threatened to send Turkish troops into Israel to intervene on behalf of the Palestinians.

As for the latest tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, Erdoğan told the UNGA that Turkey stands with the Lebanese people and accused Israel of inciting regional conflict through its actions against Hezbollah militants.