Israel recalls diplomats from Turkey after Erdogan’s 'grave' statements
The move came after Erdogan called Israel a "war criminal" earlier Saturday, and marks a backsliding in bilateral ties that had been fully restored just last fall after more than a decadelong break.
Israel announced on Saturday that it was recalling its diplomats in Turkey for consultations in protest of "grave" statements from Turkish government officials concerning the Israel-Hamas war.
“Given the grave statements coming from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives there in order to conduct a reevaluation of the relations between Israel and Turkey,” Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Given the grave statements coming from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives there in order to conduct a reevaluation of the relations between Israel and Turkey.
— אלי כהן | Eli Cohen (@elicoh1) October 28, 2023
Speaking at a pro-Palestine rally in Istanbul earlier Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel a "war criminal" over its attacks on the Gaza Strip, reiterating that his country doesn’t consider Hamas a terror organization.
"Israel has been openly committing war crimes for 22 days,” Erdogan told the crowd of tens of thousands. “We will tell the whole world that Israel is a war criminal. We are making preparations for this. We will declare Israel a war criminal," he added.
