By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL- On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced what he labeled as excessive force used by the U.S. and the UK in Yemen against Houthi rebels who have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since Israel retaliated against Hamas in Gaza. As Erdogan commented: “All of these actions involve the use of disproportionate force. Israel is also using disproportionate force in Palestine.” The U.S. and the UK began their strikes in Yemen on multiple targets inside Yemen late Thursday in response to Houthi attacks on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea. The Houthis who are backed by Iran began firing on ships in the Red Sea in November as a response to Israel’s war on Gaza and vow not to quit unless Israel declares a ceasefire.
Erdogan has been vocal about the Israeli army and Israeli government’s use of excessive force against Palestinians in Gaza Strip and the settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank. Turkiye and Israel’s relations had thawed in 2023 with an exchange of ambassadors and a new détente after years of tense relations. The tense relations stemmed from the Israeli army storming the Turkish ship the Mavi Marmara – one of three civilian ships carrying 10,0000 tons of humanitarian aid known as the “Gaza Freedom Flotilla” with another three ships in the group that left from Istanbul on May 31, 2010 to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza where no goods or people were allowed into the Gaza Strip after a surprise attack by Israel.
The Turkish president and his top officials presented evidence of what he said are Israel’s “war crimes and genocide” to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in December 2023. Meanwhile, Erdogan spoke about South Africa’s claims against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) known as the World Court at The Hague –one of the six branches of the U.N. where international disputes are settled. He said he was disappointed to see Israel’s President Herzog imitating Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and referring to Turkiye’s evidence presented to the ICC, he added: “But the documents we have presented are useful for The Hague.” South Africa’s legal representatives have accused Israel of “deliberate actions against Gazans, proving genocidal intent.” Deliberations began at the ICJ on Thursday with the first day of the trial ending on Thursday. On Netanyahu, Erdogan remarked that the Israeli PM has “nowhere to hide” and that there is “no defense for his actions.”
