Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a sharp rebuke of Turkey yesterday following Ankara’s condemnation of Israeli military operations targeting Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.
“We condemn Israel’s airstrikes against Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire agreement. We stand firmly by the people of Lebanon,” stated the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
“These attacks have once again exposed Israel’s flagrant disregard for international law and its ongoing threat to the region’s security and stability. The international community must stand united against Israel’s efforts to create a perpetual state of conflict in the region,” the statement continued.
Responding forcefully, Israel’s Foreign Ministry slammed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s criticism, pointing to his own domestic conduct. “While violently suppressing his own citizens and carrying out mass arrests of political opponents, [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan presumes to preach lofty values to the international community,” read Israel’s statement.
“In Erdogan’s Turkey, there is no justice, no law, and no freedom. Israel does not need Erdogan’s ridiculous moral sermons. Israel acts to defend itself and its citizens against real threats and actual attacks — and it will continue to do so,” the ministry added.
Tensions between the two nations have grown more intense since the war in Gaza erupted on October 7, 2023. Prior to that, relations between Israel and Turkey had shown signs of cautious improvement after years of strain.
Earlier this month, Erdogan ratcheted up his rhetoric, labeling Israel a “terror state” in reaction to unexpected airstrikes on Hamas-linked targets in Gaza.“The Zionist regime has once again shown that it is a terror state that feeds on the blood, lives and tears of the innocent with its brutal attacks on Gaza last night,” Erdogan declared.
The Turkish leader has consistently voiced support for Hamas. In April of last year, he hosted then-Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul. Haniyeh was later killed by Israel in a strike in Tehran.
Not long after that meeting, Erdogan publicly revealed that over 1,000 Hamas operatives were receiving medical treatment in Turkish hospitals. He also took offense when Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to Hamas as a terrorist group.
Erdogan again met with top Hamas officials in Ankara this past January, continuing his open alignment with the organization.
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