Turkish officials on Thursday hailed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called the warrants a good step towards “the realization of justice.”
In a post on X, Fidan wrote that the ICC decision is a “vital step” in bringing Israeli officials who have “committed genocide of the Palestinians” to justice.
He added that Turkey will continue to work towards the implementation of international law in all its institutions and rules to punish genocide.
"This is not only a duty towards the Palestinians who have been killed, but also towards all oppressed nations and future generations,” he said.
Earlier, according to Turkish broadcaster TRT, Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus welcomed the ICC move, calling it a sign that “the protective shield” on top Israeli officials will finally end.
The Hague court’s decision is a “step of historical importance,” he added.
"After the International Court of Justice's ruling, Israel, which was believed to be untouchable because of this decision, has been touched. This decision is the result of the support given to the innocent and oppressed Palestinian people by the 'humanity front’,” said Kurtulmus.
Turkey and Israel were headed towards reconciliation before Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, but Turkish officials, and in particular President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have resumed their attacks on Israel since that time.
In one speech, the Turkish President said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “committed one of the greatest atrocities of this century in Gaza and has already put his name down in history as the butcher of Gaza."
In July, Erdogan threatened to invade Israel, saying, "We must be strong so Israel won't be able to do these things to the Palestinians. Just as we entered Karabakh and Libya, we will do the same to Israel. There's nothing left to do, we must be strong."
He then continued to lash out at Israel, claiming that it "committed acts of barbarism" and that "Gaza has become the world's largest concentration camp."
Earlier this week, Erdogan boasted of the fact that Turkey had denied President Isaac Herzog permission to use its airspace to travel to the COP climate summit in Azerbaijan.