New Round of Verbal Conflict Between Leaders of Israel and Turkey

In a new round of verbal conflict, the leaders of Turkey and Israel on Saturday, December 22, referred to each other as "murderers." According to Turkish media, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, during a meeting of the "Youth Foundation," advised them to "act humanely" and said: "Jews in Israel attack and beat people who fall to the ground; they do not only attack men; their behavior towards women and children is the same." Erdoğan further warned: "But if they dare to confront us, we will respond as Muslims and teach them a lesson." Hours later, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, wrote in a statement: "Erdoğan, the occupier of Northern Cyprus, whose army massacres women and children in Kurdish villages inside and outside Turkey, is not in a position to preach morality to Israel." As the verbal attacks continued on Sunday, December 23, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the Turkish Foreign Minister, tweeted in support of the President's remarks, stating: "Netanyahu, the occupier who kicks people who have fallen to the ground, will easily be found guilty (in international courts)." Çavuşoğlu added that Netanyahu is "the cold-blooded murderer of contemporary times; responsible for the massacre of thousands of innocent Palestinians, bombings, and military attacks on children on the shores; Turkey will never shy away from revealing the truth." İbrahim Kalın, spokesperson for the Turkish Presidency, also wrote on Twitter that Netanyahu is "upset by the truth spoken by the President of Turkey and is trying to save Israel from international investigations regarding this regime; but it is futile." Kalın's remarks refer to a decision that is soon to be announced by the International Court of Justice regarding Israel's alleged war crimes during the 2014 Gaza conflict. The spokesperson for Erdoğan added that Israel "cannot silence our President." Ömer Çelik, spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party, also said on Sunday: "Netanyahu, who is accused of corruption in his own country, is trying to disrupt international affairs." This new round of verbal attacks comes as Benjamin Netanyahu stated last week at a conference of Israeli diplomats in Jerusalem that relations between his country and Turkey have improved after years of tension, mentioning the appointment of an Israeli ambassador to Ankara. The Israeli website Ynet linked the recent verbal attacks from Turkish leaders against Netanyahu to the regional situation. Ynet reported on Saturday that Donald Trump's recent decision to withdraw American forces from Syria, following a phone call between Erdoğan and Trump, has given the Turkish President a greater sense of power and motivation.