File photo: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Erdogan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a sharp attack on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after Ankara sought an Interpol Red Notice for Netanyahu and an Israeli official over an alleged attack on activists delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“Erdogan is an antisemitic dictator who has massacred Kurds, harbors Hamas terrorists, occupies half of Cyprus, and jails record numbers of journalists and politicians who oppose him,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on X. “Erdogan’s pathetic attempt to intimidate the leaders and soldiers of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, will go nowhere,” the statement said. The Israeli response came after Turkish justice minister Akin Gurlek said Ankara had requested an Interpol Red Notice for Netanyahu and Israeli official Afek Moskovitch. Gurlek said relevant documents had been sent to Turkey’s interior ministry and foreign ministry to begin the process of seeking an international search and extradition through Interpol.
Turkey Indicts Netanyahu Administration for Alleged War Crimes
Turkey’s justice ministry has announced an indictment against the Netanyahu administration, accusing it of implementing a genocide policy in Gaza. The indictment lists serious charges, including genocide, crimes against humanity, deprivation of liberty, intentional injury, torture, damage to property, qualified plunder, and hijacking of transport vehicles.
Gurlek, a representative for Turkey’s government, stated, “We categorically reject the notion that the Netanyahu administration is untouchable and unaccountable. We will not allow the crimes committed in Gaza to be covered up or the perpetrators to be shielded by impunity.” The charges also encompass the interception and detention of international aid workers, highlighting a broader concern over the humanitarian situation in the region.