‘Teach Them a Lesson’: Israel’s Netanyahu, Turkey’s Erdogan Bicker Over Morals

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took time from his busy schedule to snipe at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday, claiming that Ankara cannot claim the moral high ground over Tel Aviv as long as Turkey continues to attack the Kurds.

The Turkish and Israeli leaders exchanged mutual accusations on Saturday, with Erdogan claiming in a speech that Jews "beat women and children who are prone on the floor," and Netanyahu accusing the Turks of harassing the Kurdish population of Turkey.

"The Jews in Israel kick people laying on the ground. In fact, Jews don't kick men but also women and children when they fall on the ground," Erdogan said during a Saturday speech at an Istanbul meeting of the Turkey Youth Foundation, referring in particular to Palestinian victims of Israeli violence.

"But as Muslims, will confront these people [the Jews] if they have courage to deal with us and we'll teach them a lesson," Erdogan added, according to the Times of Israel.

The quip sparked an almost immediate response in Tel Aviv.

"Erdogan, the occupier of northern Cyprus, whose army massacres women and children in Kurdish villages, inside Turkey and outside it — will not lecture Israel on morality," said Netanyahu, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Speaking in Istanbul, Erdogan also said Turkey "cautiously" welcomes US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from Syria. Erdogan also said that, because of this move, Turkey will postpone a military operation against Kurdish forces in northeast Syria.

According to Erdogan, Turkey will take the lead on fighting Daesh in Syria and continue to counter Kurdish forces in northeast Syria, Israel National News reported.