ISTANBUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would eventually be tried as a war criminal over Israel's ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip, while slamming Western countries supporting Israel.
Turkey, which supports a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict, has sharply criticised Israel over its campaign in Gaza, launched in response to militant group Hamas' rampage on Oct. 7.
In a speech to an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) committee meeting in Istanbul, Erdogan said the Western nations supporting Israel were giving it "unconditional support to kill babies" and were complicit in its crimes.
"Beyond being a war criminal, Netanyahu, who is the butcher of Gaza right now, will be tried as the butcher of Gaza, just as Milosevic was tried," Erdogan said, in reference to Yugoslav ex-President Slobodan Milosevic who was tried for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes at a tribunal in The Hague.
"We must absolutely evaluate the United Nations Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court (ICC) within this framework," he said, adding Israel's nuclear arsenal must not be forgotten.
Persons:
Tayyip Erdogan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Milosevic, Slobodan Milosevic, U.N, Antonio, Guterres, Daren Butler, Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson
Organizations:
Hamas, Islamic Cooperation, NATO, OIC, Arab League, United Nations Human Rights Council, Criminal Court, ICC, United Nations Security Council, Security Council, Thomson
Locations:
ISTANBUL, Gaza, Israel, Turkey, Istanbul, Yugoslav, The Hague, Western, United States, Russia, China, Britain, France