Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar reacted sharply to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's description of Israel as "a burden humanity can no longer bear." Sa'ar said the remarks were a "call for genocide."
In an interview with CNN Türk on July 2, Fidan said Israel had become "the representative of humanity's common problems" and called on other countries to pressure the Jewish state.
In a written statement, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar described Fidan's remarks as "a clear call for genocide." Sa'ar said, "The Jewish people know very well what happens when such words are left unanswered. The first step on the road to genocide is dehumanization."
Sa'ar also asked, "Speaking of a people as a 'problem for humanity' is a phrase familiar from nearly 100 years ago. What do you do with a 'burden you can no longer bear'?"
Sinan Ciddi, director of the Turkey program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News Digital that Fidan's statement was "one of the most disgusting statements from a statesman since the Holocaust."
Ciddi said anti-Israel rhetoric in Turkey dates back to 2008, when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan began to damage bilateral relations, but that after October 7 the rhetoric "accelerated dramatically." Ciddi said, "I have not heard any Arab leader utter the words that Foreign Minister Fidan said."
Meanwhile, Erdoğan had condemned antisemitism at a dinner for religious minority representatives in Ankara in March. According to Turkish Minute, Erdoğan said, "Just as Islamophobia is a crime against humanity, antisemitism is also a crime, an evil that cannot be seen as reasonable or legitimate."
Despite this, Erdoğan and other ministers continued their harsh rhetoric against Israel. In June, Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said the world would "witness the liberation of Jerusalem." In May 2021, Erdoğan called Israelis "murderers" and claimed they were "satisfied only by sucking the blood of their victims." At the time, a U.S. State Department spokesperson condemned Erdoğan's "antisemitic comments against the Jewish people." In May 2025, Erdoğan accused Israel of being "a terrorist state that feeds on the blood, lives and tears of innocents."
According to a Pew Research Center survey published in June, 91 percent of the public in Turkey views Israel "very unfavorably," 6 percent expressed an "unfavorable" view, while only 1 percent expressed a favorable view.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "Turkey is a long-standing and valued NATO ally, and we continue to engage on all dimensions of our important, multifaceted relationship."
Ciddi noted that the U.S. has many channels to warn Turkey over such rhetoric. "The president could pull his Turkish counterpart aside and demand an apology," Ciddi said, adding that the State Department could also address the comments or place Turkey on a watch list.
As the two-day NATO summit in Ankara concluded, Ciddi warned that Turkey would "try to overshadow everything" and "present itself as the leading NATO ally." "If we do not hold member states accountable for threats from countries like Turkey, we cannot protect the democratic norms, rights and practices of our allies," he said.
Turkey's Embassy in Washington did not respond to Fox News' request for comment.
