Erdogan calls Netanyahu a 'terrorist' over Gaza deaths

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu engaged in a war of words on Sunday over Israel’s recent deadly use of force against protesters at the Gaza border, culminating with Erdogan calling Netanyahu a “terrorist.”

"Hey Netanyahu! You are an occupier. And it is as an occupier that are you are on those lands. At the same time, you are a terrorist," Erdogan said in a televised speech in Adana, southern Turkey.

"What you do to the oppressed Palestinians will be part of history and we will never forget it," he added.

Israeli soldiers shoot tear gas from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, as Palestinians protest on the Gaza side of the border, March 30, 2018. /VCG Photo

In another speech he said: "You are a terrorist state. It is known what you have done in Gaza and what you have done in Jerusalem. You have no one that likes you in the world."

The comments came after Israeli soldiers killed 16 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more on Friday when a major demonstration led to clashes along the border with the Gaza Strip.

Erdogan condemned Israel over its "inhumane attack," prompting a sharp response from Netanyahu.

"The most moral army in the world will not be lectured to on morality from someone who for years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately. Apparently this is how they mark April 1 in Ankara," Netanyahu tweeted, referring to April Fool's Day.

Screenshot from Benjamin Netanyahu's Twitter account /CGTN

“He who occupies northern Cyprus, encroaches on Kurdish territory and massacres civilians in Afrin cannot preach to us on values and morals," he later added.

Israel has defended its soldiers' actions after they opened fire on Palestinians who strayed from a main protest camp attended by tens of thousands and approached the heavily fortified fence cutting off the Gaza Strip.

Israel's defence minister has rejected calls for an inquiry into Friday's events.

(Top picture: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, March 6, 2018. /VCG Photo)

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters