Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's support for Hamas contradicts Ankara's commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) it is a member of, according to a British lawmaker.
Erdogan claimed that Hamas wasn't a terrorist group, but a liberation group fighting to protect Palestinian lands. Though he condemned the civilian deaths caused by Hamas's Oct. 7 rampage, the Turkish leader strongly criticized Israel's continued bombardment of Gaza.
"Hamas is not a terrorist organization. It is a liberation group, 'mujahideen' waging a battle to protect its lands and people," Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party, using an Arabic word denoting those who fight for their faith.
The Turkish president later vowed to bring Jerusalem to justice over "crimes committed in the Gaza Strip," and accused both the U.S. and Europe of being complicit in them. "I believe that we should stop Israel, which looks as if it's completely out of its mind and lost it, as soon as possible," he said in a statement following a cabinet meeting. "We will ensure that those responsible for war crimes in Gaza will face justice," (Related: Turkey's Erdogan threatens WAR against Israel for their relentless BOMBING of Gaza Strip.)
But according to Member of Parliament (MP) Robert Courts, Erdogan ought to remember his commitments to NATO, which the lawmaker dubbed "the most successful military alliance in history." Ankara's NATO commitments, the MP for the Witney constituency said, will come in handy if and when Russia and China are ready to exploit any "cracks" in the alliance.
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"The centrality of NATO is utterly essential," said Courts, the newly-appointed chairman of the House of Commons' Defense Committee. "NATO is right at the center of our entire defense posture. I would always ask all NATO partners to ensure that they are at all times supporting NATO."
Ankara only recently restored full diplomatic ties with Jerusalem, following the pullout of Israeli diplomats. "In light of the escalating rhetoric from Turkey, I have instructed the return of diplomatic representatives from Turkey to reassess Israel-Turkey relations," Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in a statement.
U.S. Sen. Graham compares Turkey to progressive "Squad" in lower chamber
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) remarked that Turkey is becoming NATO's version of "The Squad" following Erdogan's declaration of Israel as a "war criminal."
"Seems that Turkey, particularly senior leadership, is setting itself up to be 'The Squad' of NATO," Graham wrote on X. "Very disappointing and destabilizing."
"The Squad" pertains to an informal group of 'progressive' members of the U.S. House of Representatives who belong to the Democratic Party. The six core members of the squad include Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib; Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar; Missouri Rep. Cori Bush; Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley; and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman, both from New York state. Texas Rep. Greg Casar and Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee later joined the Squad.
The Squad members have been critical of Israel, with Tlaib – who hails from Palestine – having a well-documented history of anti-Israel comments. "As long as our country provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government, this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue," she said in a statement.
The congresswoman for Michigan also continues to doubt the Israeli and U.S. governments' findings that an airstrike at a hospital in Gaza was the result of a misfired rocket launched from Gaza by the Hamas ally Palestinian Islamic Jihad that was targeting Israel.
Visit WWIII.news for more updates on the escalating Middle East conflict.
Watch this video about Erdogan's threat of invading Israel, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's call for genocide in Gaza.
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