Turkey cuts all relations with Israel, says Erdogan
Turkey has severed all ties with Israel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday.
Erdogan made the comments to journalists aboard his plane following visits to Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, Middle East Eye reported.
“The government of the Republic of Turkey, under the leadership of Tayyip Erdogan, will not continue or develop relations with Israel,” Erdogan said.
“[Our ruling coalition] is resolute in its decision to cut ties with Israel, and we will maintain this stance in the future as well.”
“We, as the Republic of Turkey and its government, have currently severed all relations with Israel."
Turkey would do everything in its power to hold Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accountable for his actions in Gaza, which international human rights groups have described as genocide, said Turkish President.
Despite imposing a trade embargo on Israel in May this year, Turkey continues to maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.
Although the Turkish government formally recalled its ambassador last year for consultations, Turkish diplomatic missions in Tel Aviv remain open and operational. Israel evacuated its embassy in Ankara last year, citing regional security threats.
Erdogan said 52 countries and two international organisations had expressed their support for the arms embargo initiative Turkey launched at the United Nations in early November, aimed at preventing the shipment of weapons and ammunition to Israel.
"We recently submitted our formal letter regarding this initiative to the president of the United Nations Security Council and the secretary-general of the United Nations," Erdogan said.
"During our summit in Riyadh, a decision was made to invite all organisations and members of the Arab League to sign this letter."
