Turkish leaders’ verbal attacks on Israel have raised concerns about antisemitism. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan recently said Israel has ‘become a burden that humanity can no longer bear’ in a July 2 interview with CNN Türk.

Escalating Tensions

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called Fidan’s words ‘a clear call for genocide.’ The Jewish people know very well what happens when such words are allowed to go unchallenged, Sa’ar added.

Sinan Ciddi, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that Fidan’s statement was ‘some of the vilest rhetoric to come out of any statesman since the Holocaust.’ Ciddi said that escalated anti-Israel rhetoric in Turkey ‘goes all the way back to 2008’ when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ‘began the process of ripping apart the bilateral relationship between Israel and Turkey.’

Despite Erdoğan’s recent condemnation of antisemitism, he and other ministers have continued with their rhetoric against the Jewish state. In June, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ҁiftҁi said that the world would ‘witness the liberation of Jerusalem,’ according to the Times of Israel.

International Response

In response to questions about whether the State Department plans to respond to antisemitic statements from Turkish leadership, a spokesperson told Fox News Digital that ‘Türkiye is a longstanding and valued NATO Ally and we continue to engage on all aspects of our important and multi-faceted relationship.’ Ciddi said there are ‘numerous channels’ for the State Department to reprimand Turkey for its unchecked hatred.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.