Verbal Clash Between Erdoğan and Netanyahu Over Ancient Inscription
According to the English section of webangah News agency, citing mehr News Agency from Al Jazeera, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan once again opposed handing over an inscription from occupied Jerusalem to the Israeli regime. Tel Aviv claims this artifact dates back to the Ottoman Empire and is currently held by Turkey.
Erdoğan stated that Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, shamelessly seeks to obtain the “Siloam Inscription.”
Addressing Netanyahu directly, Erdoğan declared: “We will not give a single pebble from Jerusalem, let alone that engraved tablet.”
Turkey maintains that it cannot transfer any artifact from Jerusalem except to the legitimate Palestinian government since Israel has occupied the city since 1967 and holds no lawful sovereignty there.
On Thursday, Netanyahu said that Turkey possesses an ancient inscription confirming Jewish ties to Jerusalem but refuses to hand it over to Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu added that in 1998 he requested then-Prime Minister Mesut Yılmaz of Turkey to provide this inscription “at any cost and in exchange for anything,” but Yılmaz declined firmly, insisting it was impossible.
The Israeli regime has repeatedly submitted formal and informal requests for this tablet-the latest on March 9, 2022-following Isaac Herzog’s visit to Ankara. At that time, israeli media even claimed a preliminary agreement had been reached for Turkey’s delivery of the inscription in exchange for another archaeological piece; however, these reports were proven false.
