Watan-The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eli Cohen, said on Thursday that the Israeli ambassador will not return to Turkey as long as its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, remains in power.
Eli Cohen stated in a television interview, excerpted and broadcast on his “X” account, the following: ‘As long as Erdogan is in power in Turkey, our ambassador will not return to Ankara.
כל עוד ארדואן נשיא טורקיה. אין מקום להחזרת שגריר ישראלי לשם! pic.twitter.com/cDQmGVjVEL
— אלי כהן | Eli Cohen (@elicoh1) December 28, 2023
Erdogan’s statements stir Israel
The Prime Minister of the occupation, Isaac Herzog, and the Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz, condemned the statements of the Turkish president in which he described Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip as “much worse” than what the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler did.
On Wednesday, Turkish President Erdogan launched a fierce attack on Israel and the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu during a speech at an event for the distribution of scientific and academic awards at the presidential complex in Ankara.
The Turkish president wondered, “What is the difference between you (Netanyahu and his army) and what Hitler did?… What Netanyahu is doing is much worse than what Hitler did.”
I strongly condemn and utterly reject the words of Turkish President Erdogan.
In all of human history, the Holocaust stands alone in its horror and enormity, and his words are deeply offensive to every Jew around the world, and to the memory of the millions of Jews who perished…
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) December 27, 2023
Netanyahu responded with a tweet claiming that Erdogan committed genocide against the Kurds. He also mentioned Erdogan’s world record in imprisoning journalists opposing his rule, stating, “He is the last person who can lecture us about ethics,” according to his claim.
The occupation committed new massacres against civilians in Rafah, Khan Yunis, and Beit Lahia, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate from the center of the Strip. The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced an increase in the toll of the aggression to 21,320 martyrs and 55,603 injured.