Turkey will not allow the issue of Israel’s nuclear weapons to be dropped from the global agenda, President Tayyip Erdogan said, while attributing European support for Israel to what he called “the shame of the Holocaust”, Reuters reports.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan said the West was trying to “vindicate” what he said were Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, adding Western countries had a “fraternity of lies” with Israel which he called “shameful”.

“The shame of the Holocaust has literally taken European leaders hostage,” he said. “We, as Turkey, will not allow the issue of Israel’s nuclear to be forgotten.”