Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel's continued bombardment of Gaza a day after Turkey recalled its ambassador and suspended talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to the Israel-Hamas war. Photo by Turkish President Press Office/ UPI |
License Photo
Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel's continued bombardment of Gaza a day after Turkey recalled its ambassador and suspended talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to the Israel-Hamas war.
In a fiery statement posted to social media, Erdogan vowed to support the Palestinian people, saying, "It is our duty to save our Palestinian brothers and sisters from Israeli oppression and to stop the massacres committed in Gaza before the eyes of the whole world."
Erdogan stopped short of mentioning specific steps his government would take against Israel, but claimed that it is Turkey's "humanitarian duty" to respond to its ongoing aggression.
The tough rhetoric comes as the war was threatening to spill beyond Gaza's borders, while the United States and several Arab nations have been working to advance a ceasefire agreement after more than four weeks of hostilities.
On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is scheduled to meet with King Abdullah of Jordan, after which he plans to address the North Atlantic Council on the diplomatic developments in Gaza.
Erdogan's statement was likely to add pressure to ongoing peace efforts as the Turkish leader accused Israel of committing atrocities in Gaza, and signaled his readiness to sever diplomatic ties with Israel's leader.
"It is a requirement of our responsibility toward history to shout out the crimes of those who support those who committed this immoral, unscrupulous, despicable massacre, wherever we see them," Erdogan said, adding that "Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. We have written him off."
Erdogan noted that his country's intelligence chief was also in talks with both Hamas and Israel to end the conflict.
A day earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it recalled its top diplomat in Israel due to "the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza caused by the continuing attacks by Israel against civilians, and Israel's refusal (to accept) a cease-fire."
Jordan also pulled its ambassador to Israel back to Amman, while Israel previously recalled all its ambassadors in the region as a security precaution.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced trip to the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other leaders about helping thousands of refugees trapped in Gaza.
A day earlier, Blinken met Arab diplomats in Jordan, where he reaffirmed the United States' continued support for Israel while "advancing equal measures of dignity and security for Palestinians," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Late last week, Blinken met with Netanyahu in Tel Aviv to discuss a possible "humanitarian pause" in the assault on Hamas, but the Israeli Prime Minister said the country will not consider letting up on its military campaign until all hostages held by Hamas have been freed.
