JERUSALEM (JTA) — Turkey condemned Israel for its attacks on the Gaza Strip and said it would continue to criticize Israel despite agreeing to restore diplomatic ties.
“The attacks, which caused injuries to innocent Palestinian civilians, are not acceptable regardless of their grounds,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, the Turkish Anadolu Agency reported Monday.
The condemnation came following reports of Israeli air and artillery strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza following a rocket attack from the strip on southern Israel.
“Normalizing ties with Israel does not mean that we will keep silent in the face of attacks against the Palestinian people,” the ministry also said.
On Saturday, Turkey’s Parliament approved a reconciliation agreement with Israel restoring diplomatic ties and normalizing relations after a six-year freeze.
Early Monday morning, Turkish Police increased security around the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul after detaining five people who tried to break into the building to protest the Israeli strikes on Gaza, The Associated Press reported.
