Erdoğan Calls the Gaza War Not Only a Genocide but Also an Ecocide at COP31; Israel's Foreign Ministry Hits Back
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told the COP31 leaders summit in Antalya on November 11 that what has taken place in Gaza is "not only a genocide, but also an ecocide," calling on the world to recognize the environmental impact of the war and asking the Israeli government to grant more aid access to the Palestinian territory.
In the same speech, Erdoğan accused Israel of deliberately obstructing the delivery of residential containers to the Gaza Strip, according to The Jerusalem Post. Israel was not invited to COP31.
Israel's Foreign Ministry responded on X the same day, accusing Erdoğan of using an international forum to push an "anti-Israel campaign of lies" and of supporting Hamas. "Those who truly care about Gaza should demand that Hamas disarm so reconstruction can begin," the ministry said.
Erdoğan's remarks came during the leaders segment of the climate conference Turkey is hosting in Antalya. GSM previously reported his opening address, in which he said wars and crises make international solidarity ever more necessary.
(Source: Presidency of Türkiye)
Source: Presidency of Türkiye
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：土耳其总统埃尔多安（资料图，2023 年摄于安卡拉）。照片：阿塞拜疆总统新闻局，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons，本站档案图复用。 / Photo: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (file photo, Ankara, 2023). Photo: Press Service of the President of Azerbaijan, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; GSM archive reuse.
