Israel’s death penalty for Palestinian prisoners akin to Hitler’s policies: Turkish president

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday strongly criticized Israel over a proposed law introducing the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners. Erdoğan said: “Isn’t imposing the death penalty solely on Palestinian prisoners the very definition of apartheid? Isn’t this a case of instrumentalizing the law for racist fascism? Is there, in essence, any difference between the monstrous policies of Adolf Hitler against Jews and the decision taken by the Israeli parliament with an air of great triumph?”

Anadolu Agency TÜRKIYE

Published April 10,2026

Subscribe

ISRAEL’S DEATH PENALTY FOR PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AKIN TO HITLER’S POLICIES: TURKISH PRESIDENT

Israeli parliament's decision to impose the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners is "essentially no different from Hitler's policies against Jews," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday.

"What is being done is discrimination, it is racism, it means implementing in Israel a worse version of the apartheid regime that was overthrown in South Africa in 1994," Erdoğan said at a meeting of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) Women's Wing.

He said that imposing the death penalty only for Palestinians amounts to "apartheid' and turns law into an "instrument of racist fascism."