Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday evening rejected a statement by Israel’s Foreign Ministry that targeted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, calling it "vile and outrageous slander", according to the ministry’s written press release No. 218 dated 11 November.
The Israeli statement followed Erdoğan’s speech at the opening of the COP31 Leaders’ Summit in Antalya earlier on Wednesday, Anadolu Agency (AA, as published by Memurlar.net), Yeni Şafak and The Times of Israel, citing the Associated Press, reported.
What the ministry said
In its release, the ministry described the Israeli remarks as "a new example" of what it called the futile efforts of Israeli officials to conceal the truth.
It said that in his address at the summit, Erdoğan had once again brought Israel’s oppressive policies to the world’s attention, voicing what it described as the shared conscience of humanity.
The statement ended by saying that Türkiye would continue to stand with all those targeted by Israel’s "aggressive policies", first and foremost the Palestinians.
Erdoğan’s remarks in Antalya
Speaking at the opening of the leaders’ segment of the UN climate conference, Erdoğan said that what had taken place in Gaza was "not only a genocide, but it is also an ecocide", according to the Associated Press and Middle East Eye. Israel rejects the genocide accusation, AP and The Times of Israel noted.
Erdoğan pointed to centuries-old olive trees that had been cut down, contaminated soil and water, and cities reduced to rubble, AP and Middle East Eye reported. He also said flooding had left tents and shelters in Gaza under water, according to The Times of Israel and Middle East Eye.
We reported earlier on the opening of the COP31 Leaders’ Summit, including Erdoğan’s remarks on Gaza.
Sources
- No: 218, 11 Kasım 2026, İsrail Dışişleri Bakanlığının Sayın Cumhurbaşkanımızı Hedef Alan Açıklaması Hk. (T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı)
- No: 218, 11 November 2026, Regarding the Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel Targeting President Erdoğan (MFA, English)
- İsrail’in Erdoğan’ı Hedef Alan Beyanlarına Dışişlerinden Sert Yanıt (Memurlar.net / AA)
- Dışişleri Bakanlığından Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’ı hedef alan İsrail’e tepki: Gerçekleri gizleme çabası (Yeni Şafak)
- Turkey’s president calls Gaza war an ‘ecocide’ at UN climate summit; Israel: ‘Campaign of lies’ (The Times of Israel / AP)
- Turkey’s president calls the war in Gaza an ‘ecocide’ at the UN climate summit (AP, via ClickOnDetroit)
- Erdogan condemns Gaza ‘ecocide’ at Cop31 climate summit in Turkey (Middle East Eye)
- Türkiye’s president calls the war in Gaza an ‘ecocide’ at the UN climate summit (Arab News / Reuters)
Photo: Gargarapalvin / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
