Gaza’s Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has criticised what he calls an “American-Zionist campaign” to smear Turkish Prime Minister Ragab Tayeb Erdogan, after the leader publicly linked Zionism with fascism earlier this week. Haniyeh defended Erdogan’s comments as “honest and true,” adding that the Prime Minister’s attack on Zionism reflected his country’s commitment to the Palestinian issue. Erdogan made the remarks during UN Alliance of Civilisation forum talks in Vienna on Wednesday. "As with Zionism, anti-Semitism and fascism, it is inevitable that Islamophobia be considered a crime against humanity,” the Turkish leader said. US Secretary of State John Kerry called the statement “objectionable,” as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly criticised Erdogan.