Israel Will Not Return Ambassador to Ankara as Long as Erdogan is President of Turkey

Israel is not planning to return its ambassador to Ankara as long as Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the President of Turkey. This was announced by Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, according to TASS.

“As long as Erdogan remains the President of Turkey, there is no place for the return of the Israeli ambassador there,” Cohen wrote on his social media page X.

Just a day prior, Erdogan had once again criticized the Israeli authorities for their actions in the Gaza Strip, comparing them to those of the Nazi regime led by Hitler. Previously, he had labeled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” and promised to hold him accountable for war crimes in Gaza, referring to Israel as a “terrorist state.” In response, Netanyahu stated that Erdogan himself is committing genocide against the Kurds and has no moral standing to lecture Israel.

At the end of October, amid escalating rhetoric from Ankara, Cohen announced the recall of diplomats to “reassess Israeli-Turkish relations.” Turkey had also recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv for consultations.