Türkiye won’t allow ‘unauthorized hands’ to pollute Jerusalem, Erdoğan says, condemning Netanyahu’s claims of heritage while reaffirming historical commitment to protect East Jerusalem
Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday hit back at baby killer and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his remarks on Jerusalem’s heritage.
“He may not know it, but Muslims made Jerusalem a city of peace,” Erdoğan said at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new building of the Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara.
“Netanyahu should never forget what my stance was 27 years ago,” Erdoğan said, responding to Netanyahu’s remarks delivered at an event in Jerusalem alongside U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday.
Speaking at a ceremony to reopen a first-century path connecting the Pool of Siloam to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Netanyahu referred to a meeting that allegedly took place in 1998 with then-Prime Minister Mesut Yılmaz in which Netanyahu claimed Yılmaz refused to return to Israel a tablet with a Hebrew inscription found near the site because “it would prove that Jerusalem was a Jewish city 2,700 years ago.”
Netanyahu claimed he extended an offer to Yılmaz to replace the Siloam Inscription with “one of the thousands of Ottoman artifacts in our museums,” but was turned down.
Netanyahu said Yılmaz rejected his request out of concern that the electorate led by then-Istanbul Mayor Erdoğan would be outraged by the tablet being given to Israel.
“Jerusalem is our city. Mr. Erdoğan, this is not your city. This is our city. It will always be our city. It will never be divided again,” Netanyahu said.
His comments followed harsh criticism from Erdoğan, who earlier on Tuesday compared the Israeli premier to Adolf Hitler, saying “Zionist Israel can only be associated with terrorism and fascism.”
Erdoğan is one of the most virulent critics of Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, doubled down on his comparison on Wednesday, vowing Türkiye “will not allow unauthorized hands to pollute Jerusalem.”
“I know the pain of those Hitler-minded individuals will never fade,” he said.
“Let them continue to throw tantrums. We, as Muslims, will not take a single step back from our rights over East Jerusalem,” he added. “Whether the perpetrator is an organization or the state, terrorism and massacre are a mental deadlock. This bloody lock that holds our region captive will eventually be broken.”
NEW: How an ancient Jewish inscription became a flashpoint between Turkey and Israel
• Netanyahu says Israel couldn’t get 2,700-year-old Siloam Inscription because of Erdogan’s opposition, revealing other attempts as recent as 2022https://t.co/BWXZBW1QfA
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) September 17, 2025
The tablet, called the “Siloam Inscription,” was found in East Jerusalem in 1880 during the Ottoman era and brought to the Istanbul Archaeology Museum in 1882, where it still resides. The Silom Inscription is the “most important of three inscriptions related to Jewish history found in Türkiye,” according to Turkish historian Erhan Afyoncu. It is said to describe a canal that transports water from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam within the city walls.
Israel has made multiple attempts to acquire the inscription from Türkiye.
In a post on X, Afyoncu said Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupoliansk requested the inscription from the Turkish ambassador to Israel, Namık Tan, in 2007, but was rejected. The inscription was brought up again in 2022 during Israeli President Herzog’s visit to Türkiye, who was told that such a request was out of the question.
Turkish historian and Rector of the National Defense University @eafyoncu:
“The Siloam Inscription is in the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. When it arrived in Istanbul in 1882, Jerusalem was part of the Ottoman territories. At that time, there was no state called Israel.”⤵️ https://t.co/bF3wUhn0BM
— Betül Ay (@drbetulay) September 16, 2025
“When this inscription arrived in Istanbul in 1882, Jerusalem was Ottoman territory. We brought it to the Imperial Museum in the capital to prevent it from being stolen from our own land. At that time, there was no state called Israel,” Afyoncu said.
Türkiye’s firm stance in international politics
Erdogan also addressed broader international politics, highlighting Türkiye’s independence and strategic approach:
* Türkiye will not fall into provocations or intimidation by “microphone and keyboard bullies.”
* Türkiye acts for justice, not just power, and remains a reliable ally to friends in difficult times.
* Diplomacy is carried out with both firmness and tact, ensuring regional crises are managed without harming Türkiye’s national interests.
“We remain focused on our goals. We plan every move like a master chess player. No provocation will prevent us from achieving our objectives. Türkiye’s foreign policy prioritizes peace, but this does not mean we will remain silent in the face of injustice.”
Türkiye is an advocate of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and views it as the only way to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict permanently.
The Israeli army has killed almost 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Just this week, the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory confirmed that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.
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