Dutch right-wing leader Geert Wilders on Sunday described Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as “totally” nuts and called on Turkey to be removed from NATO after Erdogan threatened to invade Israel. “Islamofascist Erdogan threatens to invade Israel. This guy is totally nuts. Turkey should be kicked out of NATO,” Wilders wrote in a post on X. Erdogan had said earlier on Sunday, "We must be strong so Israel won't be able to do these things to the Palestinians. Just as we entered Karabakh and Libya, we will do the same to Israel. There's nothing left to do, we must be strong." Foreign Minister Israel Katz later responded to Erdogan , writing on X, “Erdogan is following in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and threatens to attack Israel. He should remember what happened there and how it ended.” Opposition leader Yair Lapid also responded to Erdogan and wrote, “President Erdogan is ranting and raving again. He is a danger to the Middle East. The world, and especially NATO members, must strongly condemn his outrageous threats against Israel and force him to end his support for Hamas.” He stressed, “We won’t accept threats from a wannabe dictator.” Wilders, a staunch supporter of Israel , is also known for his tough views on Islam, with his party having previously vowed to close mosques and “ban the Quran” in its manifesto. In May, Wilders gave an impassioned speech in support of Israel at the Dutch Parliament. He said that radical Muslims “are out to destroy the Jewish State and kill its inhabitants” and then added, “And for me and my political party, it is not difficult to see with whom we stand in solidarity. Are we with the Jewish people, who are fighting for their existence, or are we with Islamic extremists, terrorist scum who want to exterminate them? And I tell you, until the very end, I support the State of Israel.” He later spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express support for Israel and denounce the decision of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. “The decision of the ICC prosecutor is ridiculous and wrong, it’s a crime NOT to defend its people against the forces of hate and terror,” Wilders said at the time.
