Blinken Made a Huge Mistake: Erdogan

The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made a "huge mistake" by stating his Jewish heritage upon arriving in Tel Aviv, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This information is reported by RIA Novosti.

"Blinken made the biggest mistake from the very start. When he said, 'I have come here (to Tel Aviv) as a Jew,' in response, you get 1.5 million people at a rally in Istanbul," the state leader stated.

Responding to reporters’ questions about why his meeting with Blinken did not take place, Erdogan noted that his American counterpart was received by the Turkish Foreign Minister in accordance with diplomatic protocols. On the day of Blinken's visit, the president was in the Rize province.

Erdogan also recalled the protests against the IDF's actions in Gaza, which occurred in many cities around the world. He commented that Israel has now become a "center of recklessness." Furthermore, the Turkish president believes that "the entire world is protesting against the U.S."

"Why? Because the U.S. became a target after it began to support the massacre organized by Israel in the Gaza Strip. In Istanbul, 1.5 million people gathered in defense of Palestine in just three days, which speaks to something significant. Listen to our voice, reach out to the world with our voice," the politician added.

Earlier, Erdogan stated that Ankara is taking appropriate steps to declare Israel a "military criminal". Turkey no longer considers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a conversation partner, but the head of the country’s intelligence maintains contacts with Israel.