Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks at a ceremony organized by the Council of Higher Education at Beştepe National Congress and Culture Center on October 9, 2023 in Ankara, Turkey. (Yavuz Ozden/ dia images via Getty Images)

Erdogan calls Hamas a ‘liberation group’ and cancels Israel trip

Before the conflict, Turkish-Israeli ties had begun to warm again after the 2020 Abraham Accords.

Under Erdoğan, Turkish authorities are leading a revival of Jewish heritage

Some say the push is meant to deflect allegations of antisemitism. Others say it’s a genuine appreciation for a Jewish community that is now dwindling.

Turkish Jews defend Erdogan from antisemitism allegation by US State Department

“They are murderers, these are murderers enough to kill 6-year-old babies,” the president said in a speech in which he often interchanges Jews and Israelis.

Israel