Ankara slams Israeli attacks against Palestinians

ANKARA

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has condemned attacks by the Israeli forces against Palestinians in Nablus, which left at least 10 civilians dead and more than 100 people injured.

“We strongly condemn and denounce that at least 10 Palestinians, including elderly and civilians, lost their lives and more than 100 people were injured during the incursion of the Israeli forces today [Feb. 22] in the city of Nablus in the West Bank,” the ministry said in a written statement on Feb. 23.

“It is imperative that the Israeli authorities immediately put an end to these provocations and aggression to prevent a spiral of violence in the region,” it noted. The ministry extended Türkiye’s condolences to the State of Palestine and its people after the incident.

Ankara has been expressing its concerns over the rising Israeli attacks against the Palestinians in the aftermath of the establishment of a new government under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which includes ultra-right Itamar Ben Gvir as the national security minister.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said he expressed his government’s concern over this trend by the Israeli government in his recent meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Following years of strained ties, Ankara and Tel Aviv managed to mend their ties and exchanged ambassadors for full normalization of the bilateral relations.