Israel Reassessing Ties With Turkey Over Erdogan Remarks

Jerusalem, 28 October, 2023 (TPS) -- Israel is reassessing its relations with Turkey in response to Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan’s comments about the Gaza war, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen tweeted on Saturday night.

“Given the grave statements coming from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives there in order to conduct a reevaluation of the relations between Israel and Turkey,” Cohen said on X, formerly Twitter.

At a mass Istanbul rally in support of the Palestinians on Saturday, Erdogan said “Hamas is not a terrorist organization” but rather “a liberation group fighting to protect its lands.”

The rally was organized by Erdogan’s ruling AKP party.

In response, Israeli’s Foreign Ministry released a statement condemning Erdogan’s remarks.

“Israel strongly condemns the Turkish President’s severe remarks about the Hamas terrorist organization. Hamas is a despicable terrorist organization that ruthlessly and intentionally murders babies, children, women, and the elderly, abducts civilians, and uses its own people as human shields. Erdogan’s attempt to defend a terrorist organization and his inflammatory statements won’t change the horrors seen by the world that proves Hamas is ISIS.”

More than 1,400 Israelis were killed and 220 taken hostage by Hamas in a surprise attack on southern Israel Oct. 7.

In an address to the Turkish parliament on Wednesday, Erdogan told lawmakers, “Hamas is not a terrorist organization, it is a group of mujahideen defending their lands.”