From the Liveblog of
Friday, July 3, 2026
Sa’ar accuses Turkish FM of ‘incitement to genocide’ for saying humanity ‘cannot bear’ Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleForeign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accuses his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, of incitement to genocide after Fidan calls Israel a “burden that humanity can no longer bear” and says it is a “problem” for the world.
Fidan makes the comments in a TV interview, in which he calls for global sanctions on Israel.
“Israel is not just Turkey’s problem, nor is it just the issue of our president,” Fidan says in the interview, according to subtitles posted by Sa’ar. “But everyone knows it, feels it, whispers it in hidden corners, and occasionally speaks openly. These are humanity’s common problems. This is what we must call it.”
He continues, “These people have become a burden that humanity can no longer bear, with their policies and their mindset. Humanity cannot bear this… I may be the only country raising my voice, but this is a problem for all of you.”
Sa’ar shoots back on X, writing that Fidan’s “sickening words are textbook incitement to genocide.”
The foreign minister adds, “Dehumanizing the Jewish people as an ‘unbearable burden’ is the classic, horrific language of history’s worst eliminationist regimes. The civilized world and Turkey’s NATO allies must unequivocally condemn this explicit call for the erasure of Israel.”
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) July 2, 2026
Relations between Israel and Turkey collapsed following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack and the subsequent war in Gaza. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a leading critic of Israel and has repeatedly accused it of genocide.
Turkey will host a summit of the NATO alliance next week.
The Times of Israel Community.