Turkey‘s Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that it was recalling its ambassador to Israel for consultations following repeated attacks on civilian population and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli army’s offensive against Hamas, which has so far killed nearly 9,500 Palestinians, 3,900 of them children, due to constant shelling that has also targeted hospitals, schools, mosques and churches.
“In view of the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, caused by Israel’s continued attacks on civilians, and Israel’s rejection of calls for a ceasefire and to allow humanitarian aid to arrive continuously and unhindered, it has been decided that our ambassador to Tel Aviv, Mr Şakir Özkan Torunlar, will be recalled for consultations to Ankara,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Turkey’s decision to recall its ambassador to Israel, which comes just five days after Israel withdrew all its diplomatic staff in Turkey to “reassess its ties” with Ankara following strong criticism from the Turkish government, comes barely a year after the two countries decided to normalise diplomatic relations after years distancing, precisely because of the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli authorities. A week ago, during a massive demonstration in Istanbul against the bombing of Gaza, Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan openly accused the Israeli government of committing “war crimes”, and Ankara is already considering how to take Israel to the International Criminal Court for the attacks on Palestinian civilians.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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