Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan an “antisemitic dictator” after Turkey asked Interpol to issue a Red Notice for his arrest over the interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
The exchange adds to mounting tensions between Israel and Turkey, which have also clashed over Israel’s recent military action in Syria and Ankara’s reported plans for a military presence there.
Netanyahu’s office said Erdoğan was seeking to extend his confrontation with Israel into Syria and warned that Israel would respond to threats to its security.
The statement also accused Erdoğan of suppressing political opponents and journalists, supporting Hamas and persecuting Kurds. Erdoğan’s government has repeatedly rejected Israel’s accusations and has been among the strongest critics of its war in Gaza.
The Israeli response followed Turkey’s request for an Interpol Red Notice against Netanyahu and another Israeli, Afek Moskovitch, in connection with an investigation into the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters.
Turkey’s Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Moskovitch were issued on July 14 over allegations including genocide, crimes against humanity, torture and unlawful detention. He said the Justice Ministry had asked the Interior Ministry to seek Red Notices and forwarded the relevant documents to the Foreign Ministry.
The case concerns the Israeli interception and detention of activists aboard the Gaza-bound flotilla, which Turkey says involved an armed intervention against civilians carrying humanitarian aid.
A Red Notice is an international police alert requesting that authorities locate a person and consider provisional arrest pending extradition or related proceedings. It is not itself an international arrest warrant, and Interpol has yet to decide whether to issue one.
Israel has rejected Turkey’s move as an attempt to intimidate its leaders and soldiers.
The dispute comes as relations between the two countries deteriorate further, with disagreements over Gaza now intersecting with competing interests in Syria.
