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.”
This Saturday, Cohen shared a statement through his social networks reporting that as a result of the “grave statements coming from Turkey,” Israel ordered the return of its representatives in that country to carry out a reevaluation of diplomatic relations.
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
The minister did not clarify what statements motivated Israel to make this decision. However, shortly before, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul that his nation is making preparations to proclaim Israel a “war criminal” to the world.
Erdogan blames West for war
During the demonstration, the Turkish president also criticized the West and accused it of being the “main culprit” of what he considered to be a “massacre” in Gaza.
“If we leave aside some conscientious voices... the massacre in Gaza is entirely the work of the West,” he said while accusing Western powers of being “hypocrites” for mourning the death of civilians in Ukraine and, according to him, ignoring that of the Palestinians.
Büyük Filistin Mitingi'ndeyiz. https://t.co/Tx84Bzkuqx
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) October 28, 2023
Türkiye denies Hamas is a terrorist group
Erdogan has not only criticized Israel for defending itself following Hamas attacks but has also justified the terrorist group.
According to the Turkish president, Hamas is not a terrorist organization but “a group that defends their lands.”
Turkey, one of the 120 UN countries that called for a “humanitarian truce”
Last Friday, Turkey also made its position clear before the UN by being one of the 120 countries that voted in favor of a resolution that asks Israel to cease “hostilities” in Gaza, without even mentioning the massacre carried out by Hamas on October 7.
