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

Federal Court Blocks Texas Border Security Law, Abbott To Appeal
Federal Court Blocks Texas Border Security Law, Abbott To Appeal
Sunday, May 17, 2026

After the Fifth Circuit last month allowed Texas’ border security law, SB 4, to go into effect, another federal court has now blocked four of its provisions.

U.S. Announces 45-Day Extension of Lebanon Ceasefire as Hezbollah Fighting Continues Along Israel’s Northern Border
U.S. Announces 45-Day Extension of Lebanon Ceasefire as Hezbollah Fighting Continues Along Israel’s Northern Border
Sunday, May 17, 2026

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend their ceasefire by 45 days as the United States pushes forward with a broader diplomatic framework aimed at securing the volatile northern border and preventing renewed conflict with Hezbollah.

Rubio Says He Would Back JD Vance in 2028, Keeps Focus on State Department Role
Rubio Says He Would Back JD Vance in 2028, Keeps Focus on State Department Role
Sunday, May 17, 2026

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would be “the first person” to support Vice President JD Vance if Vance seeks the Republican presidential nomination in 2028, even as early polling continues to place both men among the leading names in the GOP’s post-Trump future.

Ukraine Launches Major Drone Barrage On Russia, Killing At Least Four
Ukraine Launches Major Drone Barrage On Russia, Killing At Least Four
Sunday, May 17, 2026

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone barrages of the war against Russia overnight, killing at least four people — including three near Moscow — and wounding more than a dozen others, officials said Sunday.

US, Nigeria Say Senior Islamic State Leader Killed In Joint Operation
US, Nigeria Say Senior Islamic State Leader Killed In Joint Operation
Sunday, May 17, 2026

Nigeria and the United States confirmed Saturday that they had killed a senior Islamic State group leader during what officials described as a major joint counterterrorism operation in northeastern Nigeria.

Bulgaria Wins Eurovision; Israel Finishes Second Amid Boycotts
Bulgaria Wins Eurovision; Israel Finishes Second Amid Boycotts
Sunday, May 17, 2026

Bulgaria won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time Saturday, while Israel finished second in a final overshadowed by boycotts and protests over Israel’s participation amid the war in Gaza.

Italy Car-Ramming Attack Injures Eight Amid Europe’s Migration Debate
Italy Car-Ramming Attack Injures Eight Amid Europe’s Migration Debate
Sunday, May 17, 2026

Italian authorities say a man deliberately drove a car into a crowd late Saturday in the northern Italian city of Modena, injuring at least eight people — four of them seriously — in the latest violent vehicle attack in a series of similar incidents across Europe.