Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used two high-profile appearances this month to intensify his criticism of Israel and to link the country’s military campaign in Gaza to past failures of the international community. Addressing the 17th Economic Cooperation Organization summit in Khankendi, Azerbaijan, on 4 July, Erdogan said Israel’s “increasingly aggressive policies” under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were turning the Middle East into a “bloodbath” and threatening regional peace. “We can neither abandon the Palestinian cause nor remain silent,” he told regional leaders, urging a collective effort to halt Israel’s actions. In a separate video message on 11 July marking the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, Erdogan drew parallels between the 1995 massacre and the current conflict in Gaza. He accused the international community of once again watching passively while, according to Gaza’s health authorities, nearly 57,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. Erdogan vowed that Israel’s government would be held accountable “sooner or later” before both history and the law. The Turkish leader also rejected all efforts to deny or downplay the Srebrenica genocide and reiterated Ankara’s “unconditional” support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and constitutional order. His comments underscore Ankara’s positioning as a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights and a guardian of historical memory in the Balkans while pressing for broader regional stability.