Turkey issues international arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Israel: "Erdogan is an anti-Semitic dictator"
The investigation also concerns Israel’s detention of hundreds of activists on board the flotilla.
Saturday, 22 August 2026 09:05
Turkey issued an international arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday over Israel’s interception of a Gaza aid flotilla, France 24 reported.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced the warrant on X. The investigation also concerns Israel’s detention of hundreds of activists on board the flotilla, which was carrying aid for Gaza.
Netanyahu’s office responded by calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an “anti-Semitic dictator”. “Erdogan is an anti-Semitic dictator who massacred Kurds, supports the massacre of the Hamas terrorist organisation, and oppresses his own people,” it said, adding that Israel would “continue to act forcefully against Turkey's attempts to destabilise the region and against any threat to its security.”
Turkey had already issued warrants against Netanyahu and other top officials for “genocide” over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The new warrant comes as Israel’s government adopts a more confrontational posture toward NATO member Turkey.
Foreign ministers from Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also condemned Israel’s settlement policies in Palestinian territories and rejected the E1 residential project in the occupied West Bank. They called for immediate action to halt the plan, rescind related measures and cease settlement activities, saying E1 constituted a “dangerous escalation”.
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