Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed on Tuesday that Turkey had denied Israeli President Isaac Herzog permission to fly over its airspace to travel to the COP climate summit in Azerbaijan this week. “We did not allow the Israeli president to use our airspace to attend the COP summit. We suggested alternative routes and other options,” Erdogan told reporters at the G20 summit in Brazil. “As for whether he was able to get there or not, I frankly don’t know,” he added. “On certain issues, as Türkiye, we are forced to take a stand, and we will continue to do so.”
Herzog ultimately canceled his planned visit, with his office citing security reasons. This incident highlights the deterioration of relations between Israel and Turkey, which were nevertheless in the process of reconciliation before the Hamas attack of October 7.
Since then, Erdogan has increased his harsh criticism of Israel. In a recent speech, he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of having “committed one of the greatest atrocities of this century in Gaza, already going down in history as the Butcher of Gaza.”
In July, the Turkish president went so far as to threaten to invade Israel, declaring: “Just as we entered Karabakh and Libya, we will do the same with Israel. There is nothing more to be done, we must be strong.”
Two weeks ago, Turkey submitted a letter to the United Nations, supported by 52 countries and two organizations, calling for a halt to arms deliveries to Israel.
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