According to reporting from BBC Türkçe, Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz has called for Turkey’s removal from NATO. The call comes following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s threats over the weekend to intervene in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at a meeting of his Justice and Development Party (AKP).
A statement from Israel’s foreign ministry released Monday (July 29) called for Turkey’s removal from the military alliance due to its ‘dangerous rhetoric’:
“In light of the occupation threats and dangerous rhetoric used by Turkish President Erdoğan, Foreign Minister Israel Katz has called on all diplomats to contact NATO members and condemn Turkey. Additionally, Israel requests that Turkey be ejected from NATO.”
Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since 1952, possesses the alliance’s second largest military following the United States. Israel, while not a NATO member, has strong ties with many members of the alliance.
In the statement released by Israel’s foreign ministry, Katz also accused Turkey of hosting Hamas members as well as strengthening Iranian influence in the region through its alleged support of Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen.
In a speech in Rize on Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had threatened to intervene in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a similar manner to recent Turkish interventions in conflicts in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh:
Medyascope'u destekle. Medyascope'a abone ol.
Medyascope’u senin desteğin ayakta tutuyor. Hiçbir patronun, siyasi çıkarın güdümünde değiliz; hangi haberi yapacağımıza biz karar veriyoruz. Tıklanma uğruna değil, kamu yararına çalışıyoruz. Bağımsız gazeteciliğin sürmesi, sitenin açık kalması ve herkesin doğru bilgiye erişebilmesi senin desteğinle mümkün.
“We must stand strong so that Israel cannot do these things to Palestine. Just like how we intervened in Nagorno-Karabakh and in Libya, we will do the same to them. All that’s important is that we stand strong and do not shy away from taking the necessary steps.”
Written/translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
