The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is the most moral army in the world, while Turkey is committing “genocide”, Benjamin Netanyahu has said in a spat with Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the war in Gaza.
Israel’s prime minister accused Mr Erdogan of crimes against the Kurds and locking up a record number of journalists after the Turkish president said Mr Netanyahu was no different to Adolf Hitler.
Mr Netanyahu said Mr Erdogan was “the last person who can preach morality to us”.
“The IDF, which is the most moral army in the world, is fighting to eliminate the most abhorrent and brutal terrorist organisation in the world, Hamas-Isis, which has committed crimes against humanity, and which Erdogan has praised and whose leaders he hosts,” he said.
Kurdish militants have been battling for decades to achieve self-rule in south-east Turkey.
Ankara considers the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to be a terror group and has targeted its members in Iraq and Syria in recent years after pushing large numbers of militants out of the country.