Israel on Saturday said that it had recalled some of its diplomatic staff from Turkey after President  Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized its military campaign in Gaza. "Given the grave statements coming from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives there in order to conduct a reevaluation of the relations between Israel and Turkey," Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This came after Turkish  President Erdogan described Western nations as ‘the main culprit’ behind the Israeli army's ‘massacre’ of Palestinians in Gaza. “Israel has been openly committing war crimes for 22 days, but the Western leaders cannot even call on Israel for a ceasefire, let alone react to it," he said.

Erdogan’s party on Saturday organised a massive pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul. The Turkish President criticised Israel and its Western supporters over the ongoing war in Gaza. 

Erdogan has been a prominent international supporter of Palestinian rights during his two-decade rule. While addressing a crowd in Istanbul, who waved Palestinian flags, Erdogan said that Israel is a ‘war criminal’. “We are making preparations for this. We will declare Israel a war criminal," he said.

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The Turkish President further called out ‘double standards’ of the West, highlighting their focus on civilian casualties in Ukraine during its war against Russia, while ignoring the Palestinian civilians death in Gaza. "We are against all these double standards and all these hypocrisies," he was quoted as saying by news agency AFP. 

He further accused Israel's allies of creating a ‘crusade war atmosphere’ by pitting Christians against Muslims. He also called for dialogue and a pursuit of a just peace.

(With Agency Inputs)


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