Israel announced on Saturday (Oct 28) that it would be recalling its diplomatic staff from Turkey following a fierce verbal attack by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Israel’s military operation against Hamas militants in Gaza at a pro-Palestine rally attended by several thousands.
What does it mean?
The decision has dealt a significant blow to the fragile attempts to bridge the geopolitical as well as geoeconomic equations between the two West Asian nations. The Israel-Turkey ties had been strained for nearly a decade and the two nations only last year reappointed ambassadors to each other’s capitals.
Earlier, the discussions were underway in relation to a US-backed natural gas pipeline project, which held the potential for closer and more enduring cooperation in the immediate future.
Earlier in the day, at a massive rally in Istanbul, Erdogan drew an estimated crowd of 1.5 million supporters, who waved Turkish and Palestinian flags, news agency AFP reported.
WION could not immediately verify the number of attendants at Erdogan’s rally.
Erdogan accused Israel of being an “occupier”, a war criminal, and seeking to eradicate Palestinians.
So Israel’s actions came in response to Erdogan’s grand pro-Palestine expression?
The diplomatic consequences unraveled shortly after Erdogan’s speech.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen stated, “Given the grave statements coming from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives there.”
Also watch | Israel-Palestine war: Turkish President has fervently backed the Palestinian cause
Erdogan has been a prominent international advocate for Palestinian rights during his two-decade rule, initially taking a more cautious stance in the aftermath of the October 7 attack by Hamas but becoming increasingly vocal as the reported death toll from Israel’s military response climbed.
He accused Israel of being manipulated by Western powers and blamed the West for the thousands of civilian casualties in Gaza.
The ongoing situation in West Asia remains tense, with Israel and Turkey’s relations deteriorating further due to the recent events in Gaza and President Erdogan’s impassioned rhetoric.
On October 7, Hamas militants launched a brutal assault in which they killed approximately 1,400 people, primarily civilians, and took over 220 hostages. The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza reported that Israeli airstrikes had resulted in the deaths of 7,703 people, with the majority being civilians and over 3,500 of them children.
(With inputs from agencies)
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