Turkey Cuts Ties With Israel

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

ANKARA/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday that Turkey has cut its ties with the State of Israel, marking a sharp escalation in diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

“We have cut trade and ties with Israel, period,” Erdoğan said in remarks to Turkish media.

However, Israeli officials in Jerusalem said they were unaware of the diplomatic status change.

While Turkey recalled its ambassador from Israel “in protest of the Gaza War,” the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv is still operating, Israeli sources said.

Erdoğan spoke to reporters aboard his plane following recent visits to Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.

The Turkey’s leader stressed his condemnation of what he called “genocide” by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon.

ISRAEL DENIES

Israel’s government has vehemently denied committing atrocities, saying it is fighting Iran’s proxies, such as Hamas, after the group killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7 last year.

However, Erdoğan said there was “an urgent need” for humanitarian aid and an immediate ceasefire. “As you know, intense efforts are being made to keep the pressure on Israel alive and to take coercive measures against this country based on international law,” he added.

The Turkish president has been among Israel’s harshest critics before and after last year’s Hamas massacre, described as “the worst atrocity against Jews since the Holocaust,” or Shoah.

He refused to condemn the Hamas atrocities against Israeli civilians and instead lashed out at Israel for its war against Hamas in Gaza.

In March, Erdoğan emphasized Turkey’s strong ties with Hamas, which he refuses to recognize as a “terrorist organization.”

“Turkey is a country that speaks openly with Hamas leaders and firmly backs them. No one can make us qualify Hamas as a terrorist organization,” he said

HITLER COMPARISON

The Turkish president has also compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler who ordered the murder of six million Jews.

“Netanyahu and his administration, with their crimes against humanity in Gaza, are writing their names next to Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin, like today’s Nazis,” Erdoğan claimed.

In May, the Turkish leader escalated his rhetoric by calling Netanyahu a “vampire” and said the State of Israel was a threat to “all of humanity.”

He also announced that Turkey would halt all commercial trade with the Jewish state. Former Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz strongly condemned Erdoğan, accusing him of undermining both Israeli and Turkish traders.

“Erdoğan crossed a line and blocked ports for Israeli exports and imports,” Katz complained.

“This is how a dictator behaves – trampling on the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen and ignoring international trade agreements,” he argued.

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

More Worthy News

U.S. Economy Adds 115,000 Jobs in April as Hiring Beats Expectations Despite Inflation Pressures
U.S. Economy Adds 115,000 Jobs in April as Hiring Beats Expectations Despite Inflation Pressures
Friday, May 8, 2026

The U.S. economy added 115,000 jobs in April, far surpassing economists’ expectations and signaling that the labor market may be showing renewed strength even as inflation and global instability continue weighing on American households. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, according to new data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Virginia Supreme Court Strikes Down Congressional Map Favoring Democrats
Virginia Supreme Court Strikes Down Congressional Map Favoring Democrats
Friday, May 8, 2026

The Supreme Court of Virginia delivered a major political blow to Democrats on Friday, striking down the state’s newly approved congressional district map that would have heavily favored Democratic candidates in the upcoming midterm elections.

$2 Trillion Moved From Blue States to Red States, New Economic Report Reveals
$2 Trillion Moved From Blue States to Red States, New Economic Report Reveals
Thursday, May 7, 2026

More than $2 trillion in wealth has migrated from Democrat-led states to Republican-led states over the past decade, according to a new economic analysis released by the conservative group Committee to Unleash Prosperity, highlighting a major population and financial shift reshaping the American economy.

U.S. Deficit Projected To Hit $2 Trillion, Double Fiscal Target
U.S. Deficit Projected To Hit $2 Trillion, Double Fiscal Target
Thursday, May 7, 2026

The federal government is projected to post a $2 trillion deficit in fiscal year 2026, double the 3% of GDP target that has bipartisan support in Congress, according to Treasury’s quarterly refunding documents.

U.S. Warships Repel Iranian Attack in Strait of Hormuz as Trump Warns Tehran of Harsher Response
U.S. Warships Repel Iranian Attack in Strait of Hormuz as Trump Warns Tehran of Harsher Response
Thursday, May 7, 2026

The United States launched retaliatory strikes against Iranian military facilities Thursday night after three U.S. Navy destroyers came under attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command.

Russian Drones Hit Ukrainian Kindergarten Despite Ceasefire Claims (Worthy News)
Russian Drones Hit Ukrainian Kindergarten Despite Ceasefire Claims (Worthy News)
Thursday, May 7, 2026

Russian Shahed drones struck a kindergarten in Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast despite a Kyiv-declared ceasefire, killing at least one person, witnesses and officials said Thursday.

Eritrea Frees Christians After Years In Prison Amid Pressure Over Persecution (Worthy News In-Depth)
Eritrea Frees Christians After Years In Prison Amid Pressure Over Persecution (Worthy News In-Depth)
Thursday, May 7, 2026

Some 24 Eritrean Christians have been released from prison after lengthy periods behind bars in the authoritarian-ruled African nation, advocates confirmed Friday.