Israel has recalled its diplomats from Turkey, taking the decision after criticism from the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the ongoing war in Gaza. The announcement was made by Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who said the withdrawal was intended to “reassess bilateral relations” between the two nations.
Tensions between Israel and Turkey reached a new high when President Erdogan accused the West of being primarily responsible for the violence in Gaza. He stated that “ the main culprits of the massacres in Gaza are the West ” and that these acts were ” work entirely from the West“. These statements were made during a ” Palestine support meeting » that gathered a large crowd at Istanbul’s old Atatürk Airport.
Erdogan has also directed his criticism at Western powers, accusing them of creating a ” crusade atmosphere » against the Muslims. He challenged the West by asking if he intended to ” create a new atmosphere of crusades against the Crescent“, referring to the emblem of the Muslim religion. The Turkish president also criticized major Western powers for not calling for a ceasefire and highlighted the apparent inaction in the face of civilian casualties in Gaza.
Erdogan highlighted the difference in the West’s reaction in other conflicts, citing the example of Ukraine, where the West expressed its grief over the children killed, while, he said, there is silence over the children killed in Gaza. ” You mourned the children killed in Ukraine, why this silence before the children killed in Gaza?“, He said. He called the actions of Israel ” war crimes » during his speech at the meeting.
