Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Trying to re-establish its leadership of the Ottoman era in the Muslim world a hundred years after its empire collapsed in 1924, but the Arabs ignoring its claims, an isolated Turkiye on Friday issued arrest warrants against several Israelis, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is currently busy implementing the 20-point peace plan sponsored by US President Donald Trump to usher in peace in Gaza Strip.
Ankara announced it had issued arrest warrants for ‘genocide’ against Netanyahu and senior officials in his government over the war in Gaza, the media reported on Saturday.
Strongly reacting to the move, viewed as an attempt to usurp Muslims’ leadership from the Arabs, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the Jewish state “firmly rejects, with contempt” the charges, calling them “the latest PR stunt by the tyrant (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan.”
Israel has been opposing deployment of Turkish forces in Gaza for peace-keeping, which angered Erdogan, the reports said, adding even the Arabs do not want any role for Ankara in the Palestinian matters.
The Turkish prosecutor’s office said in a statement, without providing a full list, that a total of 37 ‘suspects’ were targeted by the arrest warrants. They include Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.
Turkiye has accused the officials of “genocide and crimes against humanity” that Israel has “perpetrated systematically” in Gaza.
The statement also refers to the “Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital”, built by Turkiye in the Gaza Strip and bombed by Israel in March.
Turkiye, which has been one of the most vocal critics of the war in Gaza, last year joined South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
A fragile ceasefire has been in force in the devastated Palestinian territory since October 10 as part of President Trump’s regional peace plan.
The Islamist terror group Hamas, that ruled Gaza until recent months and now forced to accept the peace plan, welcomed Turkiye’s announcement, calling it a “commendable measure (confirming) the sincere positions of the Turkish people and their leaders, who are committed to the values of justice, humanity and fraternity that bind them to our oppressed Palestinian people.”
Saar wrote on the social media platform X that “in Erdogan’s Turkiye, the judiciary has long since become a tool for silencing political rivals and detaining journalists, judges and mayors.”
He added that the Istanbul prosecutor’s office “recently orchestrated the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul merely for daring to run against Erdogan”, referring to Ekrem Imamoglu, who was detained in March.
Israel’s former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman wrote on X that the arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials “clearly explain why Turkiye should not be present in the Gaza Strip — directly or indirectly.”
Turkiye wants to take part in the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) intended to play a role in post-war Gaza, according to Trump’s plan.
But Ankara’s efforts, which include increasing diplomatic contacts in the region and seeking to influence the pro-Israel stance of the United States, are viewed unfavourably in Israel, which considers Turkiye too close to Hamas.
Israeli leaders have repeatedly expressed their opposition to any Turkish participation in the international stabilisation force in Gaza.
Tel Aviv has rejected as “false” and “antisemitic” accusations of genocide from a UN-mandated commission, several NGOs and some countries.