Israel said on Saturday that it was returning its diplomatic staff from Turkey in response to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s harsh criticism of Israel’s operation against Hamas militants in Gaza.
After a decade of essentially frozen ties, the decision dealt a devastating blow to the parties’ fledgling efforts to rebuild political and economic connections.
It wasn’t until last year that NATO’s bastion on the edge of the Middle East, Turkey, and Israel, decided to reappoint ambassadors.
According to jerrymusa.com they were also resuming talks on a natural gas pipeline project supported by the United States, which may have laid the groundwork for a closer and more long-lasting partnership in the years to come.
Turkey’s Erdogan has been more critical of Israel’s counterattack against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and this has strained relations between the two countries.
On October 7, Hamas militants carried out a surprise attack, killing 1,400 people (mainly civilians) and taking over 220 captives.
Over 3,500 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, were among the 7,703 individuals killed by Israeli airstrikes.
On Saturday, Erodgan’s Islamically inspired party held a big demonstration in Istanbul that the president said drew 1.5 million people.
Israel, he reminded his crowd waving Turkish and Palestinian flags, is an occupier.
He called the Israeli government a “war criminal” for its alleged efforts to “eradicate” Palestinians.
The right to self-defence is an inherent part of any nation’s constitution. Where is the fairness in this situation? In Gaza, merciless killings are taking place with no sign of justice in sight.
A few minutes after Erdogan finished speaking, Israel ordered the immediate return of all of its diplomatic workers in Turkey.
“Given the grave statements coming from Turkey,” Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in a statement, “I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives there to conduct a reevaluation of the relations between Israel and Turkey.”
Throughout his 20 years in power, Erdogan has been a staunch advocate for Palestinian rights on the world stage.
In the early days following the October 7 attack by Hamas, he took a more reserved stance, but as the reported death toll from Israel’s military response increased, he has become much more vocal.
The Western powers, Erdogan warned the crowd on Saturday, were using Israel as “a pawn in the region” to exert their influence in the Middle East.
“The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West,” Erdogan said.
When the “conscientious voices” are disregarded, “the West is entirely responsible for the massacre in Gaza.”
Moreover, he said that Israel’s supporters were provoking a “crusade war atmosphere,” which inflamed tensions between Christians and Muslims.
Erdogan stated, “Hear our plea for conversation.” “No one loses from a just peace.”
After days of pro-Palestinian rallies coordinated by Turkey’s right-wing and Islamic conservative groups in Istanbul and other major cities, Erdogan addressed the nation to respond to their actions.
But a survey conducted last week found that most people want Turkey to play a mediation or impartial role in the conflict.
There were 11.3% of people who identified as “backing Hamas” in the Metropoll survey.
Still, 34.5% of respondents said Turkey should maintain its “neutral” stance, while 26.4% said it should play a mediating role. The percentage of people who identified as “supporters of Israel” was only 3.0%.