Opposition leader Yair Lapid on Sunday night responded to threats by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to invade Israel. “President Erdogan is ranting and raving again. He is a danger to the Middle East. The world, and especially NATO members, must strongly condemn his outrageous threats against Israel and force him to end his support for Hamas,” wrote Lapid in a post on social media X. He stressed, “We won’t accept threats from a wannabe dictator.” Erdogan had said earlier on Sunday, "We must be strong so Israel won't be able to do these things to the Palestinians. Just as we entered Karabakh and Libya, we will do the same to Israel. There's nothing left to do, we must be strong." Foreign Minister Israel Katz later responded to Erdogan , writing on X, “Erdogan is following in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and threatens to attack Israel. He should remember what happened there and how it ended.” The Turkish President has resumed his frequent verbal attacks on Israel since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October. In one speech, the Turkish President said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “committed one of the greatest atrocities of this century in Gaza and has already put his name down in history as the butcher of Gaza." The Turkish Trade Ministry announced in early May it had suspended all export and import operations with Israel due to what it described as its "aggression against Palestine in violation of international law and human rights." The move came several weeks after Turkey restricted exports to Israel of 54 product categories. Erdogan later said that Turkey's move to halt trade with Israel was designed to force the country to a ceasefire in Gaza. Related articles: 'Allah will destroy Israel' Pikachu flees police during anti-Erdogan protest in Turkey Turkish authorities seek jail time for Istanbul Mayor Erdogan blasts Israel as 'terror state' More recently, the Turkish President called on NATO to stop its cooperation with Israel. In response, Katz wrote , “Erdogan declares at the NATO summit that he will not allow NATO to cooperate with Israel.” “First of all, Erdogan, you decide nothing. Furthermore, a country like Turkey, which supports the murderers and rapists of Hamas and the Iranian axis of evil, should not be a member of NATO,” added Katz. “You disgrace Ataturk's legacy!”
