Turkey announced that it had recalled its ambassador to Israel, Sakir Ozkan Torunlar, back home for consultations. Tension is very high: again today, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan defined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “a person who can no longer be talked to” in light of the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip which has caused almost 9,500 Palestinian deaths. In the same speech, the Ankara leader however expressed his intention not to break relations with the Jewish State.
The decision by the Ankara Foreign Ministry to recall the ambassador and all diplomatic representation was taken after the Israeli government rejected yet another ceasefire proposal and denied humanitarian aid convoys from reaching the civilian population of Gaza Strip. Sakir Ozkan Torunlar was appointed on 6 October 2022, at the end of a two-year normalization process between the two countries. The Israeli government recalled its diplomats to Turkey just under two weeks ago, after the start of the new war against Hamas. This morning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that he considers the relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu closed, but that he is not considering the possibility of breaking diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.
Israel: “Erdogan sides with Hamas”
The Turkish government’s decision to recall the ambassador to Tel Aviv back home “is another step by Turkish President Erdogan to side with the terrorist organization Hamas.” The Israeli Foreign Ministry said this, recalling that “Hamas terrorists killed, massacred and executed over 1,400 people and kidnapped 240″. «Hamas terrorists use the population in Gaza as human shields, preventing them from entering safe areas and stealing fuel, food and drinking water from them. Hamas – he concluded – is the true enemy of the Palestinian people and commits war crimes and crimes against humanity.”