Germany\u2019s federal foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, has intervened in a sharp diplomatic dispute between Israel and Turkey, strongly condemning recent statements made by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as “utterly inappropriate.”<\/p>\n
The friction escalated on Thursday when Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar published a video<\/a> segment on social media featuring an interview granted by Fidan to CNN T\u00fcrk, accompanied by an English translation.<\/p>\n According to the translated text, Fidan blasted Israel and said that its contemporary political strategies and foundational mindset had “become a burden that humanity can no longer bear.”<\/p>\n The Turkish diplomat further characterized the state of Israel as representing one of “humanity’s common problems” while calling on global entities to apply concerted international pressure on the nation.<\/p>\n Sa\u2019ar fired back at the broadcast remarks, categorizing the statements as “nauseating” and warning that they “constitute clear incitement to genocide.”<\/p>\n He further called on \u201cthe civilized world and Turkey’s NATO allies must unequivocally condemn this explicit call for the erasure of Israel.” <\/p>\n Wadephul on Sunday voiced clear support for the Israeli position during an interview with the German tabloid Bild.<\/p>\n “Israel faces an ongoing threat from the region and has the right and duty to protect its population,” Wadephul stated.<\/p>\n The German foreign minister also announced plans to fly to Israel for a direct consultation with Sa\u2019ar prior to his arrival at the upcoming NATO summit in Turkey, which is scheduled to commence on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Fidan\u2019s remarks were the latest in a series of verbal attacks by Turkish officials against Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month threatened attacks<\/a> on Israel, claiming that Israeli strikes in Syria and Lebanon have reached a point where they also threaten his country.<\/p>\n Several days earlier, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa \u00c7ift\u00e7i declared<\/a> that Turkey will one day reclaim control over Jerusalem.<\/p>\n Turkey and Israel were close to reconciliation just before the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, but since that time, Turkish officials, and foremost Erdogan, have repeatedly criticized Israel.<\/p>\n In March of last year, Erdogan blasted Israel<\/a> and described it as a “terror state” after it launched surprise strikes on terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n Several months later, the Turkish President claimed<\/a> that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s government represents the most significant threat to Middle East security.<\/p>\n