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Turkish Pres Erdoğan claims country has 'severed ties with Israel' – Jerusalem unaware of such move
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Wednesday that Turkey has cut its ties with the State of Israel.
"A Republic of Turkey that is headed by Tayyip Erdoğan can't continue to develop its relationship with Israel. We have no such intention," Erdoğan told media representatives amid media reports that Turkey maintains “secret financial ties” with Israel.
"We have cut trade and ties with Israel, period," the Turkish president said, according to the Turkish TV channel TRT Harber. However, Israeli officials in Jerusalem said they were not aware of the diplomatic status change.
While Turkey recalled its ambassador from Israel in protest of the Gaza War, the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv is still operating.
Erdoğan further stated that he hopes to restore relations with the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad after years of tense Turkish Syrian ties.
"Restoring ties with Bashar al-Assad will soothe regional tensions, hopefully," he said.
Turning to the United States, Erdoğan said he hopes that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump would change Washington’s policies in the Middle East region.
"Our hope is that Trump takes very different steps toward the region this term because the messages being given from time to time concern us," he said.
Erdoğan then expressed interest in potentially cooperating with business magnate Elon Musk, who was recently offered a senior role in the emerging Trump administration.
"Musk is a businessman who works in the space and technology field," Erdoğan told journalists. "Technology isn't a field you can advance on your own, you absolutely need some cooperation. In the event cooperation opportunities arise in this field, steps can be taken with Musk,"
Meanwhile, the Turkish president has been one of Israel’s harshest critics both before and after the Hamas Oct. 7 massacre last year. Erdoğan's Islamist government refused to condemn the Hamas atrocities against Israeli civilians and instead, strongly condemned Israel for its conduct in the war in Gaza.
In March, Erdoğan emphasized Turkey’s strong ties with Hamas, which he refuses to recognize as a terrorist organization.
“Turkey is a country that speaks openly with Hamas leaders and firmly backs them,” he said. “No one can make us qualify Hamas as a terrorist organization.”
The Turkish president has also compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler who ordered the murder of six million Jews.
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