Netanyahu orders preparation of possible legal case against Erdogan, report says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed an interministerial team and a high-ranking Justice Ministry official to prepare a potential legal case against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to a report by i24NEWS. This directive came after Erdogan's claim that Turkey had requested Interpol to issue a red notice for Netanyahu.

The possibility of Israel filing a case through the International Criminal Court, located in The Hague, has been raised, following the issuance of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza since October 2023. However, it is more probable that Israel would pursue the case through a third party, or utilize it as leverage against Erdogan.

The proposed case would concentrate on Israel's accusations surrounding Erdogan's government's ties with Hamas and Kurdish groups, amid a revitalized peace process between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The report emerged in the wake of Netanyahu's address to the UN General Assembly on Friday, during which he labeled Erdogan a "tyrant".

Turkey responded by branding Netanyahu's comments as "desperate and empty attempts" to conceal Israel's genocide in Gaza and its ongoing assaults on the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and beyond.