Netanyahu and Turkey trade accusations at UN

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of supporting Hamas and made additional allegations against Erdoğan during his September 24 address to the United Nations General Assembly. Turkish officials rejected the accusations, calling them baseless. Reports said dozens of envoys left the chamber during the speech, though the delegations and their reasons were not identified in the accounts. Netanyahu described Turkey as a source of antisemitic claims and accused Erdoğan of hosting Hamas leaders. He also alleged that Erdoğan had harmed Kurdish civilians, jailed journalists and opposition figures, and illegally occupied northern Cyprus. These were statements by Netanyahu; the reports do not independently establish the allegations. A Turkish Foreign Ministry diplomat, speaking on behalf of Turkey during the General Assembly session, said Ankara firmly rejected what it called baseless and malicious accusations against the country and its president. The representative characterized the departures from the chamber as a strong diplomatic condemnation of Netanyahu.