Netanyahu hung in effigy in Turkey

An effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was hung on Friday from a crane in the city of Trabzon in Turkey with a sign above it that read, “Death penalty for Netanyahu.”

The effigy was apparently noosed and hooded. The display, situated in the city on the shores of the Black Sea, was documented in local media and on social networks.

The anti-Israel message was initiated by Kemal Sağlam, a lecturer at Artvin Çoruh University, who said it was a protest against “the violation of the right to life of women, children and innocent civilians in Gaza,” according to Israel’s Channel 12 News.

He added, “The world cannot remain silent in the face of this crime. This is a symbolic call—the real trials should take place in international courts.”

The report said that while the display sparked widespread reactions in the country, it did not elicit denunciations from the authorities.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke on Saturday at the Istanbul Congress Centre in Istanbul, saying that no diplomatic resolution can be reached in the region, from Syria to Gaza and from the Gulf to the war in Ukraine, without the involvement of Turkey, Turkish public broadcaster TRT World reported.

“With common will, we will first build a terror-free Turkey, then a terror-free region as our lasting legacy to the nation’s children,” he was quoted as saying.

He added that his country was transforming into a “global power.”

Meanwhile on Friday, Israeli Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli offered to embrace a new slogan in light “of the relentless threats from the jihadist dictator” Erdoğan.

Turkey has been involved as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, playing a pivotal role in Washington’s push to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. Daily newspaper Israel Hayom reported on Friday that troops from Azerbaijan and Indonesia are expected to form the core of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) to be deployed in Gaza to maintain the ceasefire.

The move to deploy troops from these two Muslim-majority countries comes after Israel blocked Turkey’s participation in the Gaza force. Israel Hayom reported that the U.S. accepted Israel’s position, and Turkish forces will not take part in military operations in Gaza.

Ely Karmon, a senior research scholar at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism at Reichman University in Herzliya and a member of the Israeli non-partisan group Coalition for Regional Security, told JNS earlier in October that Erdoğan seeks to “largely replace the Iranian dream of enclosing Israel in a more dangerous military and political ring.”

Karmon warned that “when it comes to Israel, Erdoğan is the one who sets Turkey’s policy, and he is personally responsible for the deterioration of bilateral relations between the countries for years. Erdoğan has strong anti-Israel feelings, based on deep-rooted religious beliefs. Erdoğan simply despises Israel.”