Turkey's President Recep Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went at each other's necks via Twitter, accusing each other of brutality and human rights abuses.
The spat on Tuesday went down in the wake of violence on the Israeli-Gaza border on Monday during which Israeli military forces shot and martyred at least 60 Palestinian protesters, coinciding with the opening of the U.S. embassy in the city of al-Quds.
Turkey's government loudly condemned the killings. Erdogan, in a speech on Turkish television on Monday, said: "Israel is wreaking state terror. Israel is a terrorist state. What Israel has done is genocide. I condemn this humanitarian drama, the genocide, from whichever side it comes, Israel or America."
In response, Netanyahu shared some choice words for the Turkish president on Twitter, calling Erdogan a terrorist, saying: "...... There is no doubt that he well understands terrorism and slaughter. I suggest that he not preach morality to us."
Erdogan shot back at the tweet, writing, "Netanyahu is the PM of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenseless people's lands for 60+ yrs in violation of UN resolutions. He has the blood of Palestinians on his hands and can't cover up crimes by attacking Turkey."
"Want a lesson in humanity? Read the 10 commandments," the president finished.
World leaders condemned the Israeli regime, and expressed concern over the deaths, while the U.S. squarely blamed Hamas and reiterated Israel's claim to self-defense.
Outside of Twitter, the leaders put their anger into actions: Turkey expelled Israel's ambassador and consul to Ankara, while Israel expelled the Turkish consul in Jerusalem-al-Quds. The officials were reportedly humiliated on their way out, forced to undergo strict security screening and invasive inspections.
The UN classifies Israel as an occupier state over the Palestinian territories, whose occupations following the 1967 six-day war are still considered in violation of international law. More than 1.5 million Palestinians live in refugee camps across the Middle East today.
