November 5, 2023
1 min read

‘Netanyahu no longer someone we can talk to’

Israel had earlier withdrawn all diplomats from Turkiye and other regional countries as a security precaution…reports Asian Lite News

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he was breaking off contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. We have written him off,” Turkish media quoted Erdogan as saying.

Erdogan’s remarks came a week after Israel said it was “re-evaluating” its relations with Ankara because of Turkiye’s increasingly heated rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war.

Israel had earlier withdrawn all diplomats from Turkiye and other regional countries as a security precaution.

Israeli forces have encircled Gaza’s largest city, trying to crush Hamas in retaliation for October 7 raids into Israel that officials say killed around 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took some 240 people hostage.

The health ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, says more than 9,400 Gazans, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Israeli strikes and the intensifying ground campaign.

Erdogan said Saturday that Turkiye was not breaking off diplomatic relations with Israel.

“Completely severing ties is not possible, especially in international diplomacy,” Erdogan said.

He said MIT intelligence agency chief Ibrahim Kalin was spearheading Turkiye’s efforts to try and mediate an end to the war.

“Ibrahim Kalin talking to the Israeli side. Of course, he is also negotiating with Palestine and Hamas,” Erdogan said.

But he said Netanyahu bore the primary responsibility for the violence and had “lost the support of his own citizens”.

“What he needs to do is take a step back and stop this,” Erdogan said.

ALSO READ-Netanyahu Vows Victory in Gaza Conflict

Previous Story

Guernica II

Next Story

Blinken rejects Arab demand for urgent Gaza truce

Latest from -Top News

American missionary abducted in Niger

The US Embassy in Niamey issued a security alert warning that American citizens “remain at a heightened risk of kidnapping throughout Niger, including in the capital city”…reports Asian Lite News An American

Ouattara predicted to win fourth term

Around 8.7 million Ivorians were registered to vote, though analysts had predicted a lower turnout compared with the last two elections, when participation slightly exceeded 50%…reports Asian Lite News Votes were being

Russia Fires at EU

Zakharova called the sanctions package “illegal” and “self-destructive”, while accusing Brussels of isolating itself on the international stage…reports Asian Lite News Russia’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has slammed the European Union’s

Mamdani Hits Back at Racism

Mamdani criticised rivals for spreading “hatred,” saying their Islamophobia harms him and nearly one million Muslims in New York….reports Asian Lite News New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Friday delivered
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Iran is like 50 North Koreas, Netanyahu tells US lawmakers

“To have Iran being able to threaten every city in

Netanyahu coalition to annex occupied West Bank

In a deal that Netanyahu’s Likud party signed with the