Turkey seeks Interpol arrest warrant for Netanyahu over Gaza flotilla detention
· France 24Turkey said Friday it would seek an Interpol red notice for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of a domestic criminal case linked to an attack on activists seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
NATO member Turkey has been one of the fiercest critics of Israel's devastating assault on Gaza and has previously issued domestic arrest warrants for Netanyahu over the war there. It has repeatedly called for international measures against Israel over what Ankara calls its violations of human rights and international law. Israel denies those charges.
In May, Israeli forces opened fire on at least two vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla sailing towards Gaza as it was making a renewed attempt to deliver aid to the enclave after earlier missions were intercepted by Israel in international waters.
Read moreFrench Gaza flotilla activists return to Paris, describe 'violent' detention by Israel
About 50 vessels were in the Global Sumud Flotilla that left Turkey in May heading for the besieged Palestinian territory. The activists were detained in the Mediterranean by the Israeli military and then taken to an Israeli prison before being expelled. A number of activists accused Israeli security forces of physical or sexual violence during their detention.
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also sparked outrage by releasing a video showing himself taunting flotilla activists who were on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs.
Watch more'Posing for cameras': Israel mocks flotilla activists online as torture, rape allegations mount
France, Italy and Australia have also launched judicial proceedings related to Israel's detention of the activists.
Freed Gaza flotilla activists allege Israeli abuse including rape
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In a post on X, Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said arrest warrants had been issued for Netanyahu and another Israeli, named as Afek Moskovitch, on charges that included genocide, crimes against humanity and torture as part of a case against 35 people over the Israeli interception in international waters.
"In line with the arrest warrants issued against Benjamin Netanyahu ... our justice ministry has requested that the interior ministry issue (Interpol) red notices for them so that they may be sought internationally," Gurlek said.
According to Turkey's IHA news agency, Moskovitch is an Israeli soldier who is also accused over actions in Gaza.
IHA, citing the indictment, said Moskovitch had posted footage on Instagram showing tanks and a bulldozer destroying buildings at the Islamic University of Gaza, including a hospital and medical faculty
Turkey will use all available legal mechanisms to ensure Israel is held accountable for its crimes in Gaza, he added.
Red notice
A red notice is a request to police forces worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition.
Interpol reviews requests submitted by member states before deciding whether to issue red notices.
Asked about Gurlek's statement, Netanyahu's office said: "(Turkish President Tayyip) Erdogan's pathetic attempt to intimidate the leaders and soldiers of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, will go nowhere."
The prime minister's office also accused Erdogan of being an "anti-Semitic dictator".
A statement from the Turkish president's office in turn denounced what it described as Netanyahu's "petty political tactics", slamming the Israeli government's attempt "to present Turkey as a new threat".
Netanyahu focused on reelection as Israeli govt grows 'less concerned' about international isolation
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Turkey and Israel also traded barbs this week over Syria, where Israel carried out air strikes on an air base it said Turkish troops could be deployed to, drawing condemnation from Ankara and criticism from the United States. Syria has said there were no plans to deploy Turkish troops to the base.
Turkey's influence in Syria as an ally of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has stirred Israeli alarm since Sharaa toppled veteran leader Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
Ankara has said Israeli rhetoric against Turkey and its actions in Syria are fuelled by the approach of a parliamentary election in Israel in October.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters and AFP)