Web Desk(National Times)- Turkiye has sought an international arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of \u201cgenocide\u201d linked to Israel\u2019s interception of an aid flotilla for Gaza, the justice minister announced on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turkiye has become a virulent critic of Israel\u2019s war in Gaza, sparked by the Hamas October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has frequently accused Netanyahu of \u201cgenocide\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel\u2019s interception of a flotilla carrying some 430 activists in May sparked an international outcry. France, Italy and Australia have also launched judicial proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turkey\u2019s Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said on X that his ministry had asked the interior ministry to issue Interpol red notice alerts for Netanyahu and another Israeli, named as Afek Moskovitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs part of the judicial proceedings concerning the attack in international waters on the Flotilla activists (\u2026) and in accordance with the arrest warrants issued on July 14, 2026, against Benjamin Netanyahu and Afek Moskovitch for \u2018genocide,\u2019 the ministry of justice has requested that the ministry of the interior issue red notices for their international arrest,\u201d the minister stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Netanyahu and Moskovitch are being prosecuted for \u201ccrimes against humanity, genocide, aggravated deprivation of liberty, \u2018intentional assault and battery,\u2019 torture, destruction of property, aggravated looting, and hijacking of transport vehicles,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later, Netanyahu branded Erdogan an \u201cantisemitic dictator\u201d in a statement from his office, and vowed that Israel would \u201ccontinue to act forcefully against Turkiye\u2019s attempts to destabilise the region\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cErdogan is an antisemitic dictator who massacred Kurds, supports the massacre of the Hamas terrorist organisation, and oppresses his own people,\u201d the statement read. \u201cIsrael will continue to act forcefully against Turkey\u2019s attempts to destabilise the region and against any threat to its security.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About 50 vessels were in the Global Sumud Flotilla that left Turkey in May heading for the besieged Palestinian territory. The activists were detained in the Mediterranean by the Israeli military and then taken to an Israeli prison before being expelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel\u2019s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir caused his own outcry by releasing a video showing himself taunting some of the flotilla activists who were on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Web Desk(National Times)- Turkiye has sought an international arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of \u201cgenocide\u201d linked to Israel\u2019s interception of an aid flotilla for Gaza, the justice minister announced on Friday. Turkiye has become a virulent critic of Israel\u2019s war in Gaza, sparked by the Hamas October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":131632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n