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Türkiye Recalls Envoy to Israel, ‘Writes Off’ Netanyahu

Smoke rises from the town of Beit Hanon, located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, as a result of an Israeli airstrike, as seen from Sderot, Israel, 04 November 2023. (EPA)
Smoke rises from the town of Beit Hanon, located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, as a result of an Israeli airstrike, as seen from Sderot, Israel, 04 November 2023. (EPA)
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Türkiye Recalls Envoy to Israel, ‘Writes Off’ Netanyahu

Smoke rises from the town of Beit Hanon, located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, as a result of an Israeli airstrike, as seen from Sderot, Israel, 04 November 2023. (EPA)
Smoke rises from the town of Beit Hanon, located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, as a result of an Israeli airstrike, as seen from Sderot, Israel, 04 November 2023. (EPA)

Türkiye said Saturday it was recalling its ambassador to Israel and breaking off contacts with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in protest at the bloodshed in Gaza.

Ankara announced the decisions on the eve of what promises to be a difficult visit to Türkiye by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Palestinian ally Türkiye had been mending torn relations with Israel until last month's start of the Israel-Hamas war.

But its tone hardened against both Israel and its Western supporters -- particularly the United States -- as the fighting escalated and the death toll among Palestinian civilians soared.

The Turkish foreign ministry said ambassador Sakir Ozkan Torunlar was being recalled for consultations "in view of the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza caused by the continuing attacks by Israel against civilians, and Israel's refusal (to accept) a ceasefire".

Israeli forces have encircled Gaza's largest city while trying to crush Hamas in retaliation for October 7 raids into Israel that officials say killed around 1,400 people -- mostly civilians -- and saw some 240 people taken hostage.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says around 9,500 people -- mostly women and children -- have since been killed in Israeli strikes and the intensifying ground campaign.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan separately told reporters that he held Netanyahu personally responsible for the growing civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip.

"Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. We have written him off," Turkish media quoted Erdogan as saying.

'Stop this'

Israel had earlier withdrawn all diplomats from Türkiye and other regional countries as a security precaution.

The Israeli foreign ministry said last weekend it was "re-evaluating" relations with Ankara because of Türkiye’s increasingly heated rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war.

Erdogan said Saturday that Türkiye could not afford to entirely break off diplomatic contacts between the sides.

"Completely severing ties is not possible, especially in international diplomacy," Erdogan said.

He said MIT intelligence agency chief Ibrahim Kalin was spearheading Türkiye’s efforts to try and mediate an end to the war.

"Ibrahim Kalin is talking to the Israeli side. Of course, he is also negotiating with Palestine and Hamas," Erdogan said.

But he said Netanyahu bore primary responsibility for the violence and had "lost the support of his own citizens".

"What he needs to do is take a step back and stop this," Erdogan said.

The Turkish leader had taken a far more cautious tone in the first days of the war.

Israel and Türkiye had only last year agreed to reappoint ambassadors after a decade of all but frozen relations.

They were also resuming discussions on a US-backed natural gas pipeline project that could have formed the basis for much closer and more lasting cooperation in the coming years.

But Erdogan led a massive rally in Istanbul last weekend during which he accused the Israeli government of behaving like a "war criminal" and trying to "eradicate" Palestinians.

Still more protests will greet Blinken on Sunday when the top US diplomat begins a two-day visit to Ankara marking the last leg of his Middle East tour.

The IHH humanitarian relief fund -- a group whose attempts to organize a flotilla to Gaza in 2010 sparked Israeli raids that claimed 10 civilian lives -- is organizing a protest march and car rally on a military base in southeastern Türkiye housing US weapons and troops.

The IHH convoy is expected to reach the Incirlik Air Base from Istanbul on Sunday.

Blinken was meeting with Arab counterparts in the Jordanian capital Amman on Saturday after visiting Israel the day before.

But he left Israel empty-handed after urging its leaders to do more to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip.

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Labor Predicted to Rout Sunak's Conservatives as Britain Goes To Polls

FILE PHOTO: A polling station direction sign is attached to a street sign near the Elizabeth Tower, more commonly known as Big Ben, ahead of general elections, in London, Britain July 3, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A polling station direction sign is attached to a street sign near the Elizabeth Tower, more commonly known as Big Ben, ahead of general elections, in London, Britain July 3, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
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Labor Predicted to Rout Sunak's Conservatives as Britain Goes To Polls

FILE PHOTO: A polling station direction sign is attached to a street sign near the Elizabeth Tower, more commonly known as Big Ben, ahead of general elections, in London, Britain July 3, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A polling station direction sign is attached to a street sign near the Elizabeth Tower, more commonly known as Big Ben, ahead of general elections, in London, Britain July 3, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo

Britain looks set to elect Labor Party leader Keir Starmer as its next prime minister when voters go to the polls on Thursday, sweeping Rishi Sunak's Conservatives out of office after 14 often turbulent years.
Opinion polls put Starmer's center-left party on course for a landslide victory as voters turn their backs on the Conservatives following a period of infighting and turmoil that led to five prime ministers in eight years, Reuters said.
However, surveys show many voters simply want change, rather than fervently backing Labor, meaning Starmer could enter office with one of the biggest to-do lists in British history but without a groundswell of support or the financial resources to tackle it.
"Today, Britain can begin a new chapter," Starmer told voters in a statement on Thursday. "We cannot afford five more years under the Conservatives. But change will only happen if you vote Labor."
Sunak, who called the election months earlier than expected, has in recent weeks abandoned his call for a fifth consecutive Conservative victory, switching instead to warning of the dangers of an unchallenged Labor Party in parliament.
He issued a fresh rallying cry to voters for election day, saying a Labor government would hike taxes, hamper economic recovery and leave Britain more vulnerable at a time of geopolitical tension, charges Labor deny.
"They will do lasting damage to our country and our economy - just like they did the last time they were in power," Sunak said. "Don't let that happen."
PUNISHING GOVERNMENT
If the opinion polls are correct, Britain will follow other European countries in punishing their governments after a cost of living crisis that stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Unlike France it looks set to move to the center left and not further right.
Labor has held a poll lead of between 15 and 20 points since shortly after Sunak was chosen by his lawmakers in October 2022 to replace Liz Truss who resigned after 44 days, having sparked a bond market meltdown and a collapse in sterling.
Modeling by pollsters predicts Labor is on course for one of the biggest election victories in British history, with a likely majority in parliament that would exceed those achieved by Tony Blair or Margaret Thatcher, although a high number of voters are undecided and turnout could be low.
Such an outcome would have been unthinkable at Britain's last election in 2019 when Boris Johnson won a large victory for the Conservatives, with politicians predicting that the party would be in power for at least 10 years as Labor was finished.
Starmer, the former chief prosecutor of England and Wales, took over Labor from veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn after it suffered its worst defeat for 84 years in 2019, and dragged it back to the center.
At the same time, the Conservatives in Westminster have imploded, ripped apart by scandal under Johnson and the rancor that followed the vote to leave the European Union, and a failure to deliver on the demands of its broad 2019 voter base.
While Johnson destroyed the party's reputation for integrity, Truss eroded its long-held economic credibility, leaving Sunak to steady the ship. During his time inflation returned to target from its 41-year high of 11.1% and he resolved some Brexit tensions, but the polls have not budged.
Sunak's election campaign has been hit by a string of gaffes. He announced the vote in driving rain, an early departure from a D-Day event in France angered veterans and allegations of election gambling among aides reignited talk of scandal.
The unexpected arrival of Nigel Farage to lead the right-wing Reform UK has also eaten into the Conservatives' vote, while the centrist Liberal Democrats are predicted to fare well in the party's traditional affluent heartlands.
PROMISE OF CHANGE
Starmer could also benefit from a Labor recovery in Scotland, after the Scottish National Party embarked on its own self-destructive path following a funding scandal and looks set to lose its stronghold for the first time since 2015.
But Starmer may find his fortunes more sorely tested in Downing Street.
His campaign was built around a one-word promise of 'Change', tapping into anger at the state of stretched public services and falling living standards. But he will have few levers to pull, with the tax burden set to hit its highest since 1949 and net debt almost equivalent to annual economic output.
Starmer has consistently warned that he will not be able to fix anything quickly, and his party has courted international investors to help address the challenges.
Sunak has argued that his 20 months in charge have set the economy on an upward path and Labor should not be allowed to put that in jeopardy.
Voters will give their verdict on Thursday.
Polls open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. (0600-2100 GMT) and an exit poll at 10 p.m. will give the first sign of the outcome with detailed results expected early on Friday.