Turkey’s Erdogan: Antisemitism is an ‘evil crime’ that cannot be legitimized

By Jacob Magid

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11 March 2026, 2:56 am 7 Edit

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a signing ceremony during his official visit to the National Palace in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 17, 2026. (Marco Simoncelli/AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemns antisemitism and Islamophobia in remarks at an interfaith iftar dinner in Ankara.

“In recent years, the escalating Islamophobia is openly threatening both our people and the culture of living together,” Erdgogan says.

“We have no tolerance for dark structures like ISIS that bomb mosques, churches, synagogues indiscriminately and show no respect even for places of worship,” he adds.

“Just as Islamophobia is a crime against humanity, antisemitism is also a crime. It is an evil that cannot be considered reasonable or legitimate,” says the Turkish leader, who has been a leading critic of Israel during the war in Gaza with Hamas.