Turkey withdraws its ambassador from Israel and calls for the creation of an "independent Palestinian state"

Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel on Saturday, thus joining the trend set by several Latin American countries. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration assured that the Jewish State has been committing “war crimes” against Hamas, which is why it made this diplomatic decision. Recently, Benjamin Netanyahu recalled his ambassador in Ankara precisely because of the Turkish government’s rhetoric.

Turkey confirmed its position in favor of the Palestinians and a two-state solution in the region. Erdoğan had previously refused to declare Hamas a terrorist organization.

“Once all this happening is over, we want to see Gaza as a peaceful region that is part of an independent Palestinian state, in line with the 1967 borders, with territorial integrity and with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Erdoğan said, according to local media.

“We will support formulas that bring peace and calm to the region. We will not support plans that will further darken the lives of Palestinians, that will gradually erase them from the stage of history,” he continued.

Just days ago, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen reported that his country decided to withdraw its diplomats from Turkey after the Ankara government announced its intention to declare Israel a “war criminal.”

Cohen even shared a statement through his social networks, reporting that as a result of the “serious statements coming from Turkey,” the Jewish state ordered the return of its representatives from that country to carry out a reevaluation of diplomatic relations.

The decision comes within hours of the visit to Ankara by Antony Blinken, Joe Biden’s Secretary of State, who has a meeting scheduled with Erdogan to discuss the situation between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.