Ankara, 22 August (H.S.): Türkiye has called for an Interpol Red Notice to be issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of responsibility for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The move comes amid escalating tensions between Türkiye and Israel.

According to Russia Today, Türkiye’s Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said on Friday on social media platform X that Netanyahu is among 35 suspects wanted in connection with a case involving the activist-led Global Sumud Flotilla. Türkiye has brought allegations including genocide, crimes against humanity, torture, unlawful deprivation of liberty, hijacking of a means of transport and damage to property in the case.

An Interpol Red Notice is a request to police forces in member countries to locate a wanted person and, where permitted under national law, provisionally detain them. However, a Red Notice does not constitute an international arrest warrant in itself.

Gürlek said Türkiye would not accept a situation in which those responsible for actions in Gaza were allowed to evade accountability. He accused the Netanyahu government of pursuing what he described as a policy of genocide in Gaza.

The Israeli navy has intercepted several flotillas travelling towards Gaza in international waters. In May, more than 400 activists aboard around 50 boats were reportedly detained. They were subsequently sent to Greece. Some of the detained activists alleged that they had been mistreated while in Israeli custody.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar rejected the allegations and said all those aboard the flotilla were safe.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly criticised Netanyahu over the war in Gaza. Erdoğan has compared Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler on several occasions and accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians.

Netanyahu, in turn, has described Erdoğan as an “antisemitic dictator” and accused Türkiye of conducting operations against the Kurds.

Tensions between Türkiye and Israel have also intensified over developments in Syria. Türkiye condemned an Israeli airstrike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase on August 18. No casualties were reported, although a recently constructed runway was damaged.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz subsequently warned Erdoğan over Türkiye’s activities in Syria. Syria and Türkiye, however, rejected Israel’s claim that Ankara was planning to deploy Turkish troops in the area.

US Special Envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack also criticised the Israeli strike, describing it as an unnecessary move that risked further escalating tensions.

Türkiye’s demand comes at a time when Netanyahu is already facing international legal proceedings. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israel’s then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Meanwhile, proceedings are also continuing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel.

Israel has rejected the allegations against Netanyahu. Israel is not a member of the ICC, while it is subject to the jurisdiction of the ICJ under the applicable rules.

Türkiye’s call for an Interpol Red Notice could add another layer of legal and diplomatic pressure on Netanyahu, further intensifying the international scrutiny surrounding the Gaza conflict.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar