Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly addressed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a ceremony in Jerusalem yesterday, declaring “this is our city” as he inaugurated the Pilgrimage Road in the City of David, which was opened after years of excavation.
In his speech at the event, Netanyahu recalled a 1998 meeting with then-Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yılmaz, at a time when "our relations with Turkey were wonderful." He recounted that Yılmaz had refused to hand over to Israel a Hebrew-inscribed stone tablet found at the site and being kept in a Turkish museum, even in exchange for "all Ottoman artifacts in Israel's museums."
The tablet Netanyahu referred to was the Siloam Inscription, which has been stored at the İstanbul Archeological Museum since late 19th century. The inscription shows the tunnel and pool built beneath Jerusalem for water storage around 2,700 years ago.
When he asked why, according to Netanyahu, "Yılmaz told me that there is a growing Islamist constituency, headed by the then-mayor of İstanbul—you know his name. And there would be an outrage from this section of the Turkish people if we gave Israel a tablet that would show that Jerusalem was a Jewish city 2,700 years ago.”
Erdoğan was the İstanbul mayor at the time.
Netanyahu continued, addressing Erdoğan directly: “Now, 2000 years later, we’ve recovered our city. We’ve recovered our independence. This is our city, Mr. Erdoğan. It’s not your city. It will always be our city. It will not be divided again.”
The Israeli PM went on to once again thank US President Donald Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocating the US embassy to the city back in 2018. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also attended the ceremony, indicating continued US support for Israel’s policy on Jerusalem.
East Jerusalem is regarded as occupied territory under UN Security Council resolutions and virtually all countries keep their diplomatic missions in Tel Aviv.
The first-century ancient path, which once carried Jewish pilgrims, stretches about 600 meters from the Pool of Siloam to the foot of the Temple Mount, where the Al Aqsa Mosque now stands.
Sixteen activists detained for chanting ‘murderous Israel, complicit Erdoğan’
Response from AKP
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson responded to Netanyahu on social media, calling his remarks "null and void."
"The words of Netanyahu, head of the genocide network, targeting our president are null and void,” Ömer Çelik wrote, accusing Netanyahu of attempting to claim a shared religious and historical site as personal property.
“Netanyahu’s delusions of treating Jerusalem, a common value of humanity, as his private property amount to enmity against all of humanity’s values," he wrote.
“These statements represent a new crime of genocide against people and values by a fanatical hostility to humanity,” Çelik added. “Humanity is under threat from this network. The response must come from an alliance of humanity.”
Relations between Turkey and Israel have further deteriorated since the outbreak of the Gaza war in Oct 2023, with Ankara imposing trade sanctions and maritime restrictions against Tel Aviv.
Yesterday, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry classified Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide.” The commission’s findings align with the position of Turkey and several other countries, which have repeatedly condemned the war as genocidal.
Exclusive: Turkish maritime firms bypass shipping restrictions to Israel
(VK)
