Turkey expels Israeli consul over Gaza violence as Erdogan exchanged heated words with Netanyahu on Twitter

Turkey has ordered the Israeli consul general in Istanbul to return to Israel “for some time”, and declared three days of mourning, following the killing of several Palestinian protesters by Israeli forces on Monday.

Turkey has been a vocal critics of the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem.

Turkey's president, Tayyip Erdogan described killings, the deadliest for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza conflict, as genocide and called Israel a terrorist state. The government declared three days of mourning.

Turkey also recalled its ambassadors from Tel Aviv and Washington and called for an emergency meeting of Islamic nations on Friday.

Meanwhile, Israel on Wednesday protested what it called Turkey’s “unbecoming treatment” of its expelled ambassador, after the envoy was shown on Turkish media being patted down by airport security in Istanbul in public view.

In response to Ambassador Eitan Naveh’s treatment, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned the Turkish embassy’s charge d’affaires.

Israel also expelled the Turkish consul-general in Jerusalem, and Erdogan exchanged heated words on Twitter with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Erdogan is among Hamas's biggest supporters and there is no doubt that he well understands terrorism and slaughter. I suggest that he not preach morality to us

— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) May 15, 2018

Reminder to Netanyahu:

Hamas is not a terrorist organization and Palestinians are not terrorists.

It is a resistance movement that defends the Palestinian homeland against an occupying power.

The world stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine against their oppressors.

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RT_Erdogan) May 15, 2018

Netanyahu is the PM of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenseless people's lands for 60+ yrs in violation of UN resolutions.

He has the blood of Palestinians on his hands and can't cover up crimes by attacking Turkey.

Want a lesson in humanity? Read the 10 commandments.

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RT_Erdogan) May 15, 2018

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the Turkish Consul-General in Jerusalem had been summoned and told to return to Turkey “for consultations for a period of time.”

The dispute appears to mark the worst diplomatic crisis between the two regional powers since Israeli marines stormed an aid ship to enforce a naval blockade of Gaza in 2010, killing 10 Turkish activists and prompting a downgrade in diplomatic ties that lasted until 2016.