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US condemns Erdogan remarks toward Israel as anti-Semitic

The US State Department Tuesday condemned comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as anti-Semitic, a claim Ankara officials refuted and said distracts from ongoing violence in Israel.
Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during his ruling party's group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara on April 21, 2021.

ISTANBUL — As fighting between Israel and Hamas continues, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan drew backlash from Washington Tuesday for speaking out against the violence that has caused more than 200 deaths, the vast majority of them Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes.

During a televised speech Monday, Erdogan criticized the ongoing conflict and said he had spoken to a “Jewish prime minister” during a past visit who told him it was the “greatest pleasure” to kill Palestinians when the unnamed official served as a general in the Israel Defense Forces.

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