JPOST
Erdogan demands Allah to ‘damn Zionist Israel’ in Eid al-Fitr remarks, Israel condemns
James Genn
March 30, 2025

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for the destruction of Israel at the Turkish Eid al-Fitr (festival ending Ramadan) prayer on Sunday, with Turkey’s state-run news agency Anadolu quoting the president as saying, “May Allah damn Zionist Israel.” Erdogan spoke at the Grand Camlica Mosque in Istanbul…Israel Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said, “The dictator Erdogan revealed his antisemitic face,” adding that “Erdogan is dangerous to the region, as well as to his own people, as has been proven in recent days,” referring to the widespread protests denouncing Erdogan after he ordered the detention of [political opponent] Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. READ MORE

YNET Erdogan’s embrace of Hamas and anti-Israel rhetoric fuel regional concerns Turkish president’s rhetoric and crackdown on dissent deepen tensions with Israel; while ties remain frozen, US President Trump may eventually step in to revive the strained relationship. In the past 24 hours, I spoke with five key individuals—two in Istanbul, often dubbed Turkey’s Tel Aviv, and three in the capital, Ankara. Each of them had visited Israel at least once. What stood out most was how easily Erdogan’s antisemitic outburst—”May Allah bring ruin and destruction upon Zionist Israel“—was dismissed.