Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of "occupying half of Cyprus" on Friday, as part of a wider statement branding him "an antisemitic dictator." The remark came hours after Turkey formally asked Interpol to issue a Red Notice against Netanyahu, a move his office dismissed as "a pathetic attempt to intimidate the leaders and soldiers of Israel" that "will go nowhere."
The Cyprus claim
In its statement, the Prime Minister's Office said Erdoğan "has massacred Kurds, harbours Hamas terrorists, occupies half of Cyprus, and jails record numbers of journalists and politicians who oppose him." Turkish forces have controlled the northern part of Cyprus since 1974, an occupation not recognised under international law; Netanyahu's office did not elaborate on the "half" characterisation.
Netanyahu's wider response
The office added that Erdoğan was now seeking "to extend his aggression against Israel into Syria," warning that Israel "will not tolerate it."
Turkey's Interpol request
The Israeli statement followed an announcement by Turkey's Justice Minister, Akın Gürlek, that his ministry had asked the Interior Ministry to pursue an Interpol Red Notice against Netanyahu. The relevant documents were also forwarded to Turkey's Foreign Ministry, Gürlek said. A Red Notice is a request to police forces worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending possible extradition; it does not amount to an international arrest warrant, and each Interpol member state decides independently whether to act on it. Interpol has not yet issued the notice.
Legal proceedings in Istanbul
The request stems from a case before the Istanbul 11th High Criminal Court, which on 14 July issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and one other defendant, Afek Moskovitch, over Israel's interception in May of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy that had set sail for Gaza carrying activists and aid. Netanyahu and Moskovitch are among 35 defendants being tried in absentia. The Turkish indictment lists charges including genocide, crimes against humanity, torture, unlawful deprivation of liberty and the hijacking of transport vehicles. None of the defendants has been convicted, and the case remains at the trial stage in Turkey.
Escalation follows Erdoğan's earlier remarks
After the 18 May interception, Erdoğan had accused Israel of "piracy and robbery," calling Israeli policy "illegal, immoral and inhumane" and urging the international community to act.
Rising tensions over Syria
The latest exchange comes two days after Israeli strikes on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria. Israel maintains that Ankara had been preparing to deploy forces there, a claim rejected by both Turkey and Syria.
