Turkey seeks arrest warrant for Netanyahu over Gaza flotilla raid

Turkey and Israel exchanged sharp accusations on Friday after Ankara said it was seeking an international arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of "genocide" linked to the interception of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza. Netanyahu’s office responded by calling Turkey’s move hypocritical, pointing to Ankara’s own record on minority rights and its military operations in Kurdish regions. The warrant request, announced by Turkish officials, marks a new low in relations between the two regional powers, which have been strained for years over the Palestinian issue and maritime disputes. Our correspondent in Turkey, Jasper Mortimer, reports that the Turkish government is framing the move as a legal and moral stand, but analysts say it is unlikely to lead to any international action against Netanyahu, as the International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction over Israel, which is not a party to the Rome Statute. Still, the symbolic weight of the request is significant, and it threatens to further inflame tensions in an already volatile region.