'Clear call for genocide': Sa'ar speaks out after Turkish foreign minister's antisemitic interview

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar has strongly condemned remarks made by Turkey's foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, labeling them a "clear call for genocide" against the Jewish people. The condemnation came during a joint statement with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Rwanda, Olivier Nduhungirehe, in Jerusalem.

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These people have become a burden that humanity can no longer bear.

Sa'ar's strong reaction followed Fidan's interview on CNN Türk on July 2, where he reportedly stated, "These people have become a burden that humanity can no longer bear," in reference to Israel. Sa'ar asserted that "the Jewish people know very well what happens when such words are allowed to go unchallenged" and that "the first step on the road to genocide is dehumanization."

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The Jewish people know very well what happens when such words are allowed to go unchallenged. The first step on the road to genocide is dehumanization.

This is not the first time Sa'ar has publicly denounced Fidan's statements. Earlier, on July 2, Sa'ar had taken to X/Twitter, describing Fidan's TV interview as "textbook incitement to genocide." He drew parallels to "history's worst eliminationist regimes" and urged "the civilized world and Turkey's NATO allies" to unequivocally condemn what he called an "explicit call for the erasure of Israel."

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textbook incitement to genocide

The diplomatic spat unfolds against a backdrop of escalating tensions between Israel and Turkey. These tensions have been further fueled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's warnings to the US against supplying F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. Netanyahu has also cited Turkey's alleged support for Hamas and the presence of the "Muslim Brotherhood" within the country.

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the civilized world and Turkey's NATO allies must unequivocally condemn this explicit call for the erasure of Israel.