Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu on Sunday shared an AI-generated image depicting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan kneeling at the Temple Mount before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he called for the immediate closure of Turkey’s embassy and consulate in Israel.
The post came after Turkish prosecutors filed indictments against dozens of senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, over what Ankara described as the unlawful seizure of the “Sumud” flotilla bound for Gaza.
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A post by Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu on X showing Erdogan kneeling before Netanyahu at the Temple Mount
(Photo: X)
Eliyahu, who is also among those named in the Turkish indictment, wrote alongside the image on X: “It’s time to close the sad chapter of relations with this fascist dictator.” He added that he would demand in the next cabinet meeting that the foreign minister and prime minister move to shut down Turkey’s diplomatic missions in Israel.
The image, labeled “Erdogan’s Turkey in a circus of hypocrisy,” also featured photos of Eliyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
In a separate post, Eliyahu accused Turkey of hypocrisy, writing: “Turkey, which conquered Northern Cyprus and controls Kurdish territories in the east, dares to lecture us on morality. Turkey, which built its economy on the Armenian Genocide, dares to accuse us of genocide. Turkey, which enforces Islamization by force, dares to speak about human rights.”
He added, “The hypocritical Erdogan doesn’t impress anyone with this current circus. The people of Israel have been convicted in many ‘courts’ throughout history. In the Inquisition, they judged us for being Jews. When we fought back after the pogroms they carried out against us, they judged us for being too strong. And in the Holocaust, they judged us for the mere fact of our existence.
“Always after every ‘trial,’ we came back stronger. And so it will be against this megalomaniacal dictator with imperialist ambitions who thinks to be an Ottoman Sultan, while he is no more than a pathetic tyrant of a country with a collapsing economy and a dead democracy.”
Turkish indictment and flotilla
The Turkish indictment, filed over the weekend, targets 35 Israeli officials over the navy’s interception of the “Global Sumud Flotilla” in October last year. The move is widely seen as declarative, but prosecutors are seeking severe penalties, including life sentences and prison terms ranging from 1,102 to 4,596 years.
The flotilla, which followed smaller attempts in June and July, included 40 vessels. Israel detained about 450 participants at the time, including Turkish nationals and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, before deporting them.
Among those named in the indictment are Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, former defense minister Yoav Gallant, Eliyahu, Ben Gvir, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Navy commander David Saar Salama. Also listed are former IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, lawmaker Tali Gottlieb and former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen.
Escalating rhetoric
Responding to the indictment, Netanyahu said: “Israel under my leadership will continue to fight the terrorist regime of Iran and its proxies, unlike Erdogan, who supports them and even slaughters his own Kurdish citizens.”
Ben Gvir shared a screenshot of the indictment report and wrote on X: “Erdogan, do you understand English? Fuck you.”
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry responded Sunday, accusing Netanyahu of trying to undermine ongoing peace efforts and continue what it described as expansionist policies. Turkish officials referred to Netanyahu as “the Hitler of our time” and warned that if he fails to derail diplomatic efforts, he could face trial and possible imprisonment in Israel.
Eliyahu has previously drawn international criticism for controversial remarks. Early in the war with Hamas, about a month after the October 7 attacks, he suggested that dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza was “one of the options,” at a time when 241 hostages were still being held in the enclave. He was temporarily suspended from cabinet meetings following the remarks.
He also previously submitted arguments to President Isaac Herzog in support of granting a pardon to Netanyahu, instead of Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who was deemed to have a conflict of interest.