Israel angered by Turkish President's remarks

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen speaks at the Security Council about the conflict between Hamas and Israel, October 24 (Photo: Reuters).

"In light of the escalating rhetoric from Turkey, I have instructed diplomatic representatives from Turkey to return to reassess the Israel-Turkey relationship," Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in a statement on October 28.

Mr Cohen's announcement came after Mr Erdogan told a pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul that Türkiye was preparing to declare Israel a "war criminal" over its actions in the Gaza Strip.

These developments have dealt a heavy blow to the parties' efforts to restore political and economic relations after a decade of almost frozen relations.

Israel and Türkiye, a Muslim-majority country, only agreed to reappoint each other’s ambassadors last year. They are also resuming discussions on a US-backed natural gas pipeline project.

But bilateral relations have frayed as Mr Erdogan has begun to increasingly criticize Israel for its retaliatory actions against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a rally in support of Palestinians in Gaza in Istanbul on October 28 (Photo: Reuters).

Since early October, Israel has ordered diplomatic staff to leave Türkiye and several other countries in the region to ensure security.

AFP quoted a Turkish diplomatic source as saying that all Israeli diplomatic staff had left the country by October 19.

“It is difficult to know who Mr Cohen instructed to return,” the Turkish diplomatic source said.

Mr. Erdogan also said on October 28 that Israel is a "regional pawn" being used by Western powers to assert power in the Middle East.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/israel-noi-gian-voi-phat-bieu-cua-tong-thong-tho-nhi-ky-20231029071739429.htm