Turkey and Israel expel envoys over Gaza violence

Turkey and Israel expelled each other’s senior diplomats on Tuesday in a dispute over the killing by Israeli forces of 60 Palestinians a day earlier during protests on the Gaza border. Turkey told Israel’s ambassador to leave the country on Tuesday after Israeli forces killed Palestinians during protests on the Gaza border. Turkish President Tayyip […]

Turkey and Israel expelled each other’s senior diplomats on Tuesday in a dispute over the killing by Israeli forces of 60 Palestinians a day earlier during protests on the Gaza border.

Turkey told Israel’s ambassador to leave the country on Tuesday after Israeli forces killed Palestinians during protests on the Gaza border.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan described Monday’s bloodshed, the deadliest for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza conflict, as genocide and called Israel a terrorist state. The government declared three days of mourning.

“The Israeli ambassador was told that our envoy to Israel was called back for consultations, and was informed that it would be appropriate for him to go back to his country for some time,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said.

Hours later Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the Turkish Consul-General in Jerusalem had been summoned and told to return to Turkey “for consultations for a period of time.”