Turkey's foreign ministry lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday over remarks acknowledging the Armenian "genocide", denouncing them as a bid to cover up the bloodshed in Gaza.
"Netanyahu's statement regarding the events of 1915 is an attempt to exploit past tragedies for political reasons," it said in response to remarks by the Israeli leader that effectively acknowledged that World War I-era mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were a "genocide" -- a term Turkey firmly rejects.
"Netanyahu, who is on trial for his role in the genocide committed against the Palestinian people, is attempting to cover up the crimes he and his government have committed," the ministry statement said.
"Netanyahu's statement regarding the events of 1915 is an attempt to exploit past tragedies for political reasons," it said in response to remarks by the Israeli leader that effectively acknowledged that World War I-era mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were a "genocide" -- a term Turkey firmly rejects.
"Netanyahu, who is on trial for his role in the genocide committed against the Palestinian people, is attempting to cover up the crimes he and his government have committed," the ministry statement said.
