Turkey rejects allegations of military cooperation with 'Israel'
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Turkey's Defense Ministry says that Turkey has "always supported Palestine," making it impossible to "carry out or engage in any activity" that would harm them.
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"Israel's" Yair Lapid and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meet on June 23, 2022, in Ankara, Turkey. (AP)
Turkey refuted charges of any military activities with "Israel" on Tuesday, claiming that such cooperation would be detrimental to Palestinians.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced earlier today that "Israel" committed eight massacres in 24 hours only, killing 81 and injuring 93.
This brought the total number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7 to 32,414, in addition to 74,787 injured.
Turkey's National Defense Ministry stated that Turkey has "always supported Palestine," making it impossible to "carry out or engage in any activity" that would harm them.
"The National Defense Ministry does not have any activities with Israel, including military training, exercises, and defense industry cooperation.”
It further stated that "Israel's" continuous aggression on the Gaza Strip, which targets hospitals, schools, places of worship, refugee camps, and people, continues "without discrimination".
This month, Antalya Mayor Muhittin Bocek announced the unilateral termination of the sister city protocol between Antalya and "Bat Yam", citing Israeli brutality in the Gaza Strip as the reason for the decision.
"At the City Council meeting on Monday, we unanimously decided to annul the 1997 protocol of friendship between Antalya and the Israeli city of Bat Yam due to Israel’s brutality towards the Palestinians," Bocek said in a post on X.
Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has previously strongly criticized relations with Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government. On January 15, he said, “Turkey acts toward Israeli players, and toward anything with a scent of Israeliness, with Nazism.”
“Erdogan is a full-on Nazi,” he added.
Read more: Turkey arrests 7 suspected of selling information to Israeli Mossad
In January, Turkey intensified its anti-Israeli stance by implementing direct economic measures. Israeli reports highlighted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's latest move, which involves the removal of "Israel" from Turkey's list of export destinations.
While Erdogan had previously focused on diplomatic channels to express his disapproval of the Israeli occupation, this latest development signals a shift toward tangible economic consequences.
Erdogan last year compared the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the attacks on Gaza and the deeds of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Speaking at a science awards ceremony in Ankara, Erdogan questioned the dissimilarities between Netanyahu and Hitler, emphasizing that any differentiation between the two remains elusive.
"How do you (Netanyahu) differ from Hitler? These (actions) will make us look for Hitler as well. Is there anything Netanyahu does that is less than Hitler? No."
