Germany’s federal foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, has intervened in a sharp diplomatic dispute between Israel and Turkey, strongly condemning recent statements made by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as "utterly inappropriate."
The friction escalated on Thursday when Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar published a video segment on social media featuring an interview granted by Fidan to CNN Türk, accompanied by an English translation.
According to the translated text, Fidan blasted Israel and said that its contemporary political strategies and foundational mindset had "become a burden that humanity can no longer bear."
The Turkish diplomat further characterized the state of Israel as representing one of "humanity's common problems" while calling on global entities to apply concerted international pressure on the nation.
Sa’ar fired back at the broadcast remarks, categorizing the statements as "nauseating" and warning that they "constitute clear incitement to genocide."
He further called on “the civilized world and Turkey's NATO allies must unequivocally condemn this explicit call for the erasure of Israel."
Wadephul on Sunday voiced clear support for the Israeli position during an interview with the German tabloid Bild.
"Israel faces an ongoing threat from the region and has the right and duty to protect its population," Wadephul stated.
The German foreign minister also announced plans to fly to Israel for a direct consultation with Sa’ar prior to his arrival at the upcoming NATO summit in Turkey, which is scheduled to commence on Tuesday.
Fidan’s remarks were the latest in a series of verbal attacks by Turkish officials against Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month threatened attacks on Israel, claiming that Israeli strikes in Syria and Lebanon have reached a point where they also threaten his country.
Several days earlier, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi declared that Turkey will one day reclaim control over Jerusalem.
Turkey and Israel were close to reconciliation just before the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, but since that time, Turkish officials, and foremost Erdogan, have repeatedly criticized Israel.
In March of last year, Erdogan blasted Israel and described it as a "terror state" after it launched surprise strikes on terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.
Several months later, the Turkish President claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government represents the most significant threat to Middle East security.
In April, the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office filed an extensive indictment against 35 senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, in connection with the Israeli navy’s seizure of the “Sumud" flotilla bound for Gaza in October last year.