Egypt: Erdogan is 'Goebbels' Successor' over Israel Military Plot Claim

Turkey's prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the successor to Hitler's chief propagandist Joseph Goebbels over allegations that Israel was behind the military coup in Egypt, according to Tel Aviv's former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman.

The Soviet-born Israeli politician, founder of the nationalist Yisrael Beytenu party, said: "Everyone who heard Erdogan's words full of hate and incitement understand without a doubt that we are talking about the successor to Goebbels, the Dreyfus trial, and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion".

Erdogan claimed to have evidence that Israel was behind the 3 July military coup that removed president Mohamed Morsi. He cited as proof the comments of a Jewish French intellectual who in 2011 predicted that the Muslim Brotherhood would not hold on to power even if elected because "democracy is not the ballot box".

He was referring to a discussion between Tzipi Livni, who is now justice minister, and Bernard-Henri Lévy.

Lévy said: "If the Muslim Brotherhood arrives in Egypt, I will not say democracy wants it, so let democracy progress. Democracy is not only elections, it is also values."

The US and Egypt condemned Erdogan with the White House calling his remarks offensive.

An aide to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Erdogan was talking "nonsense" while Egypt's military-installed government said no one "sane or fair" could accept the allegation.

A spokeswoman for Livni said of Erdogan's remarks: "Any attempt to try and tie Israel and Livni to Egypt's internal affairs is unfounded."

Turkey has been one of the fiercest critics of the "unacceptable coup" that removed Morsi.

Ankara's relations with Israel fell to an all-time low in May 2010 when Israeli forces killed nine Turkish activists while storming the Mavi Marmara ship, which was attempting to break tthrough an Israeli naval blockade on Gaza.