Turkey announced, on Saturday, the recall of its ambassador to Israel, which has been carrying out violent attacks on the Gaza Strip for weeks, during which thousands were killed.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, “In view of the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza and because of the Israeli side’s failure to accept calls for a ceasefire and the continuation of attacks against civilians, and the failure to allow humanitarian aid to enter without interruption and on a continuous basis, it was decided to recall our ambassador in Tel Aviv, Shakir Ozkan Turunlar.” .
Earlier on Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that he would cut off contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Turkish media quoted Erdogan as saying, “Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to.”
The Turkish President’s comments came a week after Israel announced a “re-evaluation” of relations with Ankara, following statements made by the Turkish President that included sharp criticism of the Israeli military campaign on the Gaza Strip.
Israel had previously withdrawn all its diplomats from Turkey and other countries in the region as a security measure.
Erdogan confirmed on Saturday that Turkey “will not sever its diplomatic relations with Israel,” explaining that severing them completely “is not possible, especially in international diplomacy.”
He pointed out that the head of the National Intelligence Service, Ibrahim Kalin, is supervising Turkish efforts to try to mediate an end to the war between Israel and Hamas.
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2023-11-04 12:54:17
