Fidan accuses Israel of seeking to swallow more territory under the guise of "security"
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday, April 18, 2026, accused Israel of seeking to seize more territory under the pretext of security, stressing that its expansionist policies have become a regional threat beyond the borders of Palestine.
Fidan's remarks came during his participation in an event at the fifth edition of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, in which he said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is using the security rhetoric to justify expansion at the expense of the Palestinian territories, noting that this approach includes Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and extends to Lebanon and Syria.
The Turkish minister stressed that the continuation of the occupation and its expansionist policies must stop as soon as possible, stressing that countries' respect for each other's territorial integrity and mutual recognition of borders is the only way to ensure lasting peace in the region, and that Israeli expansion is not only a Palestinian problem, but a regional issue that directly affects Turkey, and that the great support that Israel receives from the United States and Europe complicates the scene.
In this context, Fidan criticized the lack of a unified European institutional position capable of using its influence to curb Israeli activities, despite what he described as a "belated awakening" in Europe after the genocide in Gaza.
The Turkish minister pointed out that the countries of the region are now facing a new stage of political awareness, as they have come to realize that Israeli policies represent a widespread regional threat.
He added that Israel has not fulfilled its commitments in the first phase of the peace plan, especially with regard to the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, calling for the entry of more medical and humanitarian supplies and the start of the work of the Palestinian Technical Committee inside the Gaza Strip.
Erdogan: Child killers will not threaten Turkey or its president
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during a meeting of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary bloc in the capital Ankara, launched a violent attack on Israel on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, and said that no force can threaten Turkey and its president, and that if peace and stability are to be achieved in the region, "it will be despite the nose of the Zionist regime."
Erdogan added in his speech: "I remind the murderers of children who are attacking me and our country that Turkey is not an ordinary country," and will continue to "call the oppressor an oppressor, the thief a thief, the murderer a murderer, and be the voice of the children of Gaza."
Turkey will also continue to defend the rights of Palestinian brothers whose lands it occupied in the West Bank, and to pursue the cause of the children it said were killed in their sleep in Lebanon, he said.
Erdogan congratulated Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on his firm stance against the threats of the "Gaza butcher," referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Turkish Foreign Ministry: Netanyahu "Hitler" of the Age
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement, Sunday, April 12, 2026, that "the targeting of Israeli officials of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with inappropriate, arrogant and false allegations is the result of their dissatisfaction with the facts we express in all forums and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is known for who he is, and what his record is," adding that "Netanyahu is described as the Hitler of the age, because of his crimes."
"The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against him on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and Israel, under the Netanyahu administration, is on trial before the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide," she said, stressing that "Netanyahu's current goal is to undermine the ongoing peace talks and continue his expansionist policies in the region, otherwise he will be tried in his country and sentenced to prison."
Istanbul Prosecution Calls for Netanyahu's Jail
The Public Prosecution in Istanbul has prepared an indictment against 35 Israeli suspects in connection with the armed attack that targeted the "Global Resilience Flotilla" as it was on its way to break the siege on the Gaza Strip.
On October 1, the Israeli army attacked 42 ships belonging to the Al-Sumoud Flotilla as they sailed in international waters towards Gaza, and arrested hundreds of international activists on board, before deporting them began.
The Public Prosecution in Istanbul demanded the imposition of a life sentence of aggravated imprisonment, in addition to prison sentences ranging from 1,000 to 102 years and 4,596 years for each of the 35 Israeli defendants, headed by Netanyahu, in this context.