After Erdogan’s speech in Istanbul
Israel withdraws all diplomats from Turkey
October 28, 2023, 8:38 p.m
After Turkey initially condemned the Hamas massacres, the Turkish president’s speeches became shriller every day. Israel is now reacting to Erdogan’s recent speech in Istanbul and withdrawing all diplomats from Ankara. Foreign Minister Cohen writes that relations must be reassessed.
After “harsh statements” from Turkey, Israel has recalled its diplomatic representatives from the country. Israel will reassess relations with Turkey, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen wrote on Platform X. According to Turkish and Israeli media reports, Ambassador Irit Lillian and other embassy employees left Turkey last week. Israel had previously also asked its citizens to leave Turkey. The background was concerns about attacks in view of the Gaza war.
In recent weeks, Turkey has repeatedly expressed sharp criticism of Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip following the brutal Hamas massacre in Israeli border towns on October 7th. Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Istanbul that Israel was just “a pawn” in the region that would be sacrificed “when the day comes.” The country is committing “war crimes.” At the same time, he accused “Western governments” of being primarily responsible for the “massacres” in the Gaza Strip.
Contrast with NATO allies
The Turkish head of state had previously described the Islamist Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, as “freedom fighters”. Ankara maintains contacts with Hamas and says it is trying to get the hostages released from the Gaza Strip.
This puts Turkey in contrast to many NATO allies, the European Union and some Gulf states, where Hamas is classified as terrorist. Turkey has condemned the deaths of around 1,400 Israeli civilians in the Hamas attack on October 7, which triggered the current Israeli offensive. However, Erdogan is now accusing some Western countries of unconditionally supporting Israel. This has met with sharp criticism in Israel and Italy, among others.