Erdogan severs communication with Netanyahu over Gaza war
"Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. We have written him off," Erdogan stated, as reported by Turkish media
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Saturday that he is suspending all communication with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing Israel's actions in Gaza as the reason for this diplomatic decision.
"Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. We have written him off," Erdogan stated, as reported by Turkish media.
Erdogan's declaration follows Israel's announcement last week that it was reevaluating its relationship with Turkey due to Turkey's increasingly heated rhetoric regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict. Israel had previously recalled all its diplomats from Turkey and other regional countries as a security precaution.
The Turkish President clarified that Turkey is not fully severing diplomatic relations with Israel. He explained that completely cutting ties, especially in international diplomacy, is not a viable option.
Erdogan noted that Turkey's intelligence agency chief, Ibrahim Kalin, is leading efforts to mediate an end to the conflict.
"Ibrahim Kalin is in talks with the Israeli side. He is also in negotiations with Palestine and Hamas," Erdogan said.
However, Erdogan squarely attributed the primary responsibility for the ongoing violence to Netanyahu, expressing that the Israeli Prime Minister has lost the support of his own citizens.
Erdogan urged Netanyahu to take a step back and halt the hostilities.