Erdogan: Israel must pay $100B for Gaza’s reconstruction

English , Middle East - مشرق وسطٰی , Snippets , / Monday, February 10th, 2025

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Anadolu Ajansı
ISTANBUL – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has estimated the financial cost of Israel’s destruction of Gaza at $100 billion, holding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government responsible for the devastation.
Speaking alongside Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur, Erdogan stressed that Israel must bear the cost of rebuilding Gaza instead of displacing its people. “Gaza can be rebuilt swiftly if the funds, which rightfully belong to its people, are collected from Israel,” he said. He also called for the return of Palestinian homes and lands seized by Israeli forces and settlers.
Erdogan firmly rejected any attempt at a second Nakba, referring to the 1948 mass displacement of Palestinians. He urged global efforts to establish an independent and geographically integrated Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, calling it both a “duty of brotherhood and a debt of conscience.”
Praising Malaysia’s support for Palestine and its strong stance against Islamophobia, Erdogan reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties. Marking 60 years of Türkiye-Malaysia diplomatic relations, he highlighted growing trade, defense, and technology collaborations, with a goal to increase trade volume to $10 billion. He also noted Türkiye’s cooperation with Malaysia in defense industries, including aerospace and drone technologies.
Criticizing the post-WWII global order as unjust and ineffective, Erdogan called for a new system based on fairness and equal representation, insisting that the Islamic world must have a voice in international governance.
“The privileged club that benefits from the current system may resist change, but a fairer world is possible,” he concluded.