As Turkey reportedly seeks to jail them, Israeli leaders blast Erdogan for ‘massacring Kurds’

Netanyahu accuses Turkish president of accommodating Iran's terror proxies; Katz calls him a 'paper tiger'; Ben Gvir tells him: 'F*** you'

By Lazar Berman, ToI Staff and AFP 12 April 2026, 5:43 am
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, seen during a vote on the state budget in the Knesset, Jerusalem, March 29, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); this handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on April 4, 2026, shows Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) during a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (unseen) at Dolmabahce Presidential Office, in Istanbul. (TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP)

Israeli leaders lashed out Saturday at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after prosecutors in Turkey reportedly filed indictments against 35 top officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seeking a total of more than 4,500 years in prison.

In response, Netanyahu accused Erdogan of massacring Kurds in his own country.

“Israel under my leadership will continue to fight Iran’s terror regime and its proxies, unlike Erdogan who accommodates them and massacred his own Kurdish citizens,” he wrote on X.

According to reports in Turkey, prosecutors are seeking up to 4,596 years behind bars in total for officials including Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

They are accused of alleged crimes against humanity and genocide, as well as of stopping the Sumud flotilla from reaching Gaza in 2025 and abusing its participants.

Katz also lashed out at Erdogan on X, calling him a “paper tiger.”

“Erdogan, who did not respond to missile fire from Iran into Turkish territory and has proven to be a paper tiger, is now fleeing into the realm of antisemitism and calling for show trials in Turkey against Israel’s political and military leadership,” he said.

“What an absurdity. A man of the Muslim Brotherhood, who massacred the Kurds, accuses Israel — defending itself against his Hamas allies — of genocide,” Katz added. “Israel will continue to defend itself with strength and determination — and he would do well to remain silent.”

Newly-appointed Defense Minister Israel Katz speaks to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at a plenum session in Knesset, in Jerusalem, on November 8, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The ultranationalist Ben Gvir, known for his firebrand style, was more concise and less diplomatic.

“Erdogan, do you understand English?” he tweeted in Hebrew, before adding, in English: “Fuck You.”

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry replied to Netanyahu with a statement, calling the premier “the Hitler of our time.”

Turkey, while a fierce critic of Israel, joined diplomatic efforts with Egypt and Pakistan to reach a ceasefire in the conflict.

Shortly after the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire last week, Erdogan warned US President Donald Trump of “possible provocations and sabotage” that could undermine the agreement, without specifying who might threaten the deal.

During his phone call with Trump, Erdogan also urged that the truce “not be compromised under any circumstances,” saying Ankara would offer its full support to ensure as much.

read more: