Turkey on Friday issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and dozens of other Israeli officials on “genocide” prices.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office mentioned it has issued warrants against 37 individuals. Besides Netanyahu, warrants goal Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and army chief Eyal Zamir, amongst others.
The warrants cost the Israeli officials with “crimes against humanity” and “genocide” dedicated in Gaza and against the flotilla carrying help to the enclave, in line with the prosecutor’s workplace. That flotilla was intercepted by Israeli authorities final month.
Israel was fast to sentence and reject the warrants.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar referred to as the transfer a “PR stunt” by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“In Erdoğan’s Turkey, the judiciary has long since become a tool for silencing political rivals and detaining journalists, judges, and mayors,” Sa’ar mentioned in a social media publish, referring to the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu earlier this yr. Imamoglu, a key Erdogan rival, was arrested in March as a part of corruption and terrorism investigations.
Hamas welcomed the warrants, saying the transfer “confirms the noble positions of the Turkish people and its leadership.”
The Turkish warrants raised questions over what position Turkey will play in a multinational safety pressure for Gaza to uphold the US-brokered ceasefire deal.
Earlier this week, a number of Muslim-majority nations met in Istanbul to debate a global stabilization pressure (ISF) for Gaza, a key a part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan. The short-term pressure would practice a brand new Palestinian police pressure and assist stabilize the enclave.
US officials have cited Turkey, which performed an vital position in getting Hamas to conform to a ceasefire, as a possible participant within the pressure. And whereas it’s not clear what position Turkey will play within the pressure, Israel has made clear it’s against Turkish troops in Gaza.
US Vice President JD Vance has mentioned Israel will finally need to consent to any international troops stationed in Gaza.
The Turkish warrants for Netanyahu and other officials come nearly a yr after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for the Israeli chief, accusing him of conflict crimes. The prime minister’s workplace had dismissed the ICC warrant as “absurd and antisemitic.”