Turkey’s Foreign Ministry on Monday strongly condemned Israel’s counterterrorism operation in the city of Jenin.
“We are deeply concerned that with these attacks, the current tension in the region could trigger a new spiral of violence,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement quoted in the Anadolu news agency, reiterating Turkey’s call on Israel “to act with common sense and stop such actions.”
The statement conveyed Turkey’s condolences to those Palestinian Arabs who lost their lives in the raid and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
Also on Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concerns over the Israeli counterterrorism operation in Jenin.
“The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the developments in Jenin. He affirms that all military operations must be conducted with full respect for international humanitarian law,” said a spokesperson for Guterres in a statement.
Earlier, the White House stated that the Biden administration was watching the operation "with concern" and called on the Palestinian Authority not to follow through on its announcement that security cooperation with Israel would be stopped.
Turkey’s criticism of the Israeli counterterrorism operation comes despite the fact that Israel and Turkey formally announced last year that they would normalize relations by returning the ambassadors and consuls, after years of tensions.
In the past, Erdogan has accused Israel of being a “terrorist state”, and has also stated that his country will oppose anyone who supports Israel and that Turkey will continue to promote the Palestinian cause.