Turkey is recalling its ambassadors to the U.S. and Israel in response to the deaths of more than 50 Palestinians in Gaza earlier Monday, a new report says.
Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag announced the recall on Monday, coinciding with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing Israel of committing a “genocide,” according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.
The violence occurred after Palestinians protested President Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Shortly before the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem was set to open, Israeli snipers took aim at more than 35,000 protesters. At least 52 Palestinians were killed and about 1,200 were injured in the incident.
The White House, meanwhile, blamed Hamas for the Palestinian deaths.
“The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas,” White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah said at the White House Monday. “Hamas is intentionally and cynically providing this response, and as the secretary of state said, Israel has the right to defend itself.”
Critics of Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem argue that establishing peace in the Middle East will become more challenging as a result.
The status of the city of Jerusalem has been a flash point for decades as Palestinians also call the city their capital.
Last spring, Turkish security guards and supporters of Erdogan violently attacked protesters demonstrating Erdogan’s visit to Washington outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in D.C.
A total of 11 people were injured and nine were hospitalized, per the New York Times.
