Israel–Turkey relations

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he was breaking off contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to Israel's actions in Gaza.

"Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. We have written him off," he said. 

Erdoğan's remarks came a week after Israel said it was "re-evaluating" its relations with Ankara.

Until early 2023, it seemed that Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Turkey was set to celebrate the 100 years since its founding on October 29 with an emphasis on how the founders "threw the Greeks into the sea." The Turkish president's oft-repeated threat, "We will come one night," stressed this past and the later invasion of Cyprus.

Türkiye's top priority in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas is the urgent establishment of a ceasefire, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stated.

"The Israeli administration, backed with unconditional support by Europe and America, has been committing crimes against humanity in front of the entire world for exactly 25 days," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

With channels of communication between Athens and Ankara open due to the agreed summit in Thessaloniki on December 7 in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Greek government is closely watching his latest statements with concern, as he once again ups the ante with Israel and the West.

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered at a pro-Palestinian rally arranged by the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) Istanbul organization on Oct. 28.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a long address during the event held at Istanbul's Atatürk airport, condemning both Israel and Western nations for the recent events in Gaza.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has announced that Israeli diplomats, including Ambassador Irit Lillian, have returned to Israel for the reevaluation of ties with Türkiye following grave statements from Turkish officials over the ongoing Israeli military offensive against Gaza.

A day before the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey, Istanbul's old airport saw perhaps the world's largest rally in defense of the Palestinians, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel an occupier and a perpetrator of war crimes for three weeks.

Israel said Saturday that it was recalling its diplomats from Turkey over "increasingly harsh statements" coming from the government in Ankara.

The announcement came after Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told a massive protest crowd in Istanbul that his government was preparing to declare Israel a "war criminal" due to its actions in the Gaza Strip. 

Hamas is a terrorist organization that does not express the Palestinian people, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told reporters on Friday, after the end of a two-day EU Summit in Brussels.