Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, claims his political rivals are cooperating with the Israeli Mossad. Photo: WEF.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed on Saturday that Gülenists, followers of the US-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, in Turkey are cooperating with Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

“The sincere people backing this parallel structure should see with whom this structure is cooperating with,” Erdoğan said, while addressing a meeting of the All Industrialist and Businessmen’s Association (TÜMSİAD) in Istanbul. “Shame on them if they still cannot see that this structure is cooperating with the Mossad.”

Erdogan accused the Gülenists of orchestrating a “coup attempt”  and setting up illegal wiretappings after a corruption investigation in December 2013 went public. He has previously alleged that the movement is a “pawn” of “foreign imperial powers” and of an unknown”greater mind” plotting to undermine Turkey, Sundays Zaman reported.

Fethullah Gülen has himself made antisemitic remarks. Among the antisemitic statements he has published is this one: “Their incurable enmity to Islam and Muslims aside, these people, which look with scorn upon even their own prophets and killed many among them, will finally end up in the position of Nazis and will look for a place to hide in the four corners of the earth.”

In his speech on Saturday, Erdogan also warned Gülenists that “could be no excuse” for them “to remain under this roof.”

Turkey’s relations with Israel became tense starting in May 2010 after nine Turks and one Turkish-American were killed, and several pro-Palestinian activists were wounded, when Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara ship, which was bound for Gaza.