(JNS) Israel’s top diplomat on Friday ordered the dressing down of Turkey’s deputy ambassador after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan seemingly threatened to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I ordered the summons of the Turkish deputy ambassador to Israel for a severe reprimand, against the background of Erdoğan’s threats to send Netanyahu to Allah,” Katz wrote on X.
“And to convey a clear message to Erdoğan: You, who support the baby-burners, murderers, rapists and mutilators of Hamas are the last one who can speak about God,” continued Katz. “There is no God who will listen to those who support the atrocities and crimes against humanity committed by your barbaric friends from Hamas. Shut up and be ashamed!”
At an election rally on Thursday, Erdogan had threatened to “send [Netanyahu] to Allah to take care of him, make him miserable and curse him,” according to Turkish media reports.
Earlier this month, Erdoğan compared Netanyahu and his government to Nazi Germany.
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“Netanyahu and his administration, with their crimes against humanity in Gaza, are writing their names next to Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin, like today’s Nazis,” he said.
Erdoğan also placed Ankara firmly on the side of Hamas, which he denied was a terrorist organization.
“Hamas is not a terrorist organization, but rather a resistance, and we stand firmly behind them and [are] in constant contact with its leaders,” he said.
Netanyahu blasted the Turkish leader over the remarks, saying, “Israel observes the laws of war and will not be subject to moral preaching from Erdoğan, who supports [the] murderers and rapists of the Hamas terrorist organization, denies the Armenian genocide, massacres Kurds in his own country and cracks down on regime opponents and journalists.”
In December, the Turkish president said Netanyahu was “no different” than Hitler. A month earlier, Erdoğan told his country’s parliament that Israel would soon be destroyed.
Israel-Turkish relations went through a long cold spell, mainly due to Erdoğan’s hostile reaction to the 2008 war against Hamas and the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla incident.
Relations thawed in 2022 and the countries agreed to restore full diplomatic relations.
With the eruption of Israel’s current war, ties have again frayed and Israel felt compelled in October to recall its diplomats over the Turkish government’s “increasingly harsh statements.”
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
