Israel's Katz Rejects Turkish Interior Minister's Claims on Jerusalem and Ottoman Empire

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz directed remarks towards the Turkish Interior Minister, who he accused of threatening and aspiring to rule Jerusalem. Katz stated, "Jerusalem is not Constantinople, and the State of Israel is not a crumbling Crusader empire, but a strong and determined nation that has proven its ability to defend itself against any threat."

Katz added, "Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for three thousand years and will remain the capital of Israel forever, while the Ottoman Empire, which you and Erdoğan dream of, has collapsed and will never return."

He also expressed regret that the Turkish Interior Minister had not learned from the legacy of Atatürk, who worked to establish Turkey as a modern state, while the minister strives to return it to an era of darkness and backwardness.