Erdogan said he will never recognize Hamas as terrorists

Erdogan once again supported Hamas / Getty Images, Shutterstock, Collage 24 Channel

In his interview upon returning from the climate conference in Dubai, the Turkish President once again spoke harshly about Israel's military operation. In particular, he threatened Israel and those who support it with a stigma that would stick to them for years.

This interview allows us to complete the picture of the views of Erdogan, who previously called Hamas, involved in the murder of more than 1,000 Israeli civilians, “not terrorists, but liberators.”

How the Turkish President characterizes Hamas

Answering a journalist’s question about the United States’ expectations regarding a change in Turkey’s “pro-Hamas” position, Erdogan said that 20 years ago he explained his beliefs to the American Jewish diaspora.

Hamas is not a terrorist organization. They fight only on those lands that belonged to Palestine as of 1947. I still adhere to this position today,” said the Turkish President.

He also did not miss the opportunity to reproach Washington for supporting the Kurdish rebels, who fought against ISIS and the Assad regime during the last crisis in the Middle East. According to Erdogan, the United States cannot demand that he recognize Hamas as terrorists if they have not recognized Kurdish organizations as terrorists.

Erdogan threatens Israel

Without stopping there, Erdogan also accused Israel of “terrorism.” They say that the country’s policy of creating Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories not recognized by the international community was terrorist, since the Israelis seized the property of local residents.

Also in his interview, Erdogan consistently noted the seriousness of his intentions for the trial of the military-political leadership of Israel regarding the “genocide in Gaza.” He said that “about 3 thousand lawyers” appealed to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to open the relevant proceedings.

“We hope that the perpetrators of the genocide, caught red-handed, will receive the punishment they deserve. We want all Israeli leaders who contributed to this genocide to be brought to justice,” Erdogan said.

How Türkiye sees the end of the war

According to the Turkish president, the starting point for peace in Gaza should be a two-state solution . Based on this idea, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation seeks to develop a road map for resolving the conflict.

“The US and UK constantly ask: how will this plan deal with the threat from Hamas? And we answer: if the center of the agreement is a two-state solution, the threat from Gaza will disappear by itself. The destruction of Hamas is an unrealistic scenario,” Erdogan said.

War between Israel and Hamas: latest news

• On November 24, a truce between Hamas and Israel began, during which the parties also exchanged hostages. Within a week, 80 hostages were released from Hamas captivity, while Israel released 240 Palestinians.
• However, despite the week-long truce, Hamas disrupted its ceasefire on November 30 when two terrorists opened fire at a bus stop in Jerusalem, killing 3 Israelis. The organization claimed responsibility for the attack, calling on its supporters to “step up their resistance.”
• In response, on December 1, Israel resumed hostilities in the northern Gaza Strip, which was completely surrounded by the IDF. According to Reuters, Tel Aviv plans to create a buffer zone in this area to prevent new attacks on the country.