UPDATE - Netanyahu 'trying to cover up' genocide in Gaza: Turkish foreign minister

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By Esra Tekin and Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said late Thursday that the reality of the genocide in Gaza has been recognized by the world, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "trying to cover it up."

In an interview with a Turkish TV channel, he said the Palestine issue is a "bleeding wound" for the whole world and urged to stop the famine caused by Israel in Gaza.

Fidan stressed that Netanyahu has been using international pressure tactics to cover his crimes, saying the Israeli prime minister "has developed a pressure mechanism for each country" by mobilizing "the Zionist lobby in each country" to hold nations "under captivity through their own local politics."

He noted that "the illusion surrounding the Palestinian issue and Israel's untouchability" created over the years has been shattered and emphasized that the world now knows "Israel's real goal has never been its own security" but rather "gaining more land under the guise of security."

Stressing that the US changed its stance on Israel's attacks on Gaza, Fidan said Washington has not been "openly defending" Tel Aviv "anymore."

Pointing to Israel's brutality in the Palestinian enclave, he said the Netanyahu administration does not care about any humanitarian values.

Fidan drew historical parallels, stating that "this historical madness that Netanyahu and his friends have brought about is a repeat of the similar madness they condemned 60-70 years ago, the madness of Hitler."

Regarding Syria, he expressed concerns about Israel's expansionist policies, saying there is "no acceptable aspect to Israel's expansionist stance, particularly that of the Netanyahu government, regarding Syria."

He also criticized certain groups in Syria for seeing Israeli pressure as "an opportunity to develop a separatist political discourse" rather than jointly building Syria's future.