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Israeli Journalists Attacked in Istanbul Amid Tensions Over Palestine - Reports

Tel AVIV (Sputnik) - Journalists of the Israeli Channel 2 broadcaster were attacked on Wednesday by residents of Istanbul in Turkey, the channel reported.
Sputnik

The incident took place amid the ongoing diplomatic row triggered by violent clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinians on the border of the Gaza Strip.

According to the broadcaster, the journalists, who were working in city’s major square of Taksim, have been attacked by several people when the latter heard the reporters talking in Hebrew.

"They shouted ‘murderers’ at us, and one of them started beating our producer Oded Bino," the channel quoted its correspondent Ohad Hemo.

The journalists are safe and do not need medical care, the broadcaster added.

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On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara had decided to recall its ambassadors in Washington and Tel Aviv for consultations in connection with Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip, where dozens of Palestinians were killed on Monday while protesting against the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem. The president also called Israel a terrorist state, and its actions toward the Palestinians an act of genocide.

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Turkey also proposed the Israeli ambassador to Ankara to leave the country. In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry asked the Turkish consul general in Jerusalem to leave the Jewish state. On Wednesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry asked the Israeli consul general in Istanbul to temporarily leave the country.

Since March 30, the Palestinians have been holding anti-Israeli protests near the Gaza border. The Israeli forces have meanwhile been suppressing the demonstrators, citing security concerns. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli forces since the onset of the riots. The opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem on Monday triggered even more violence.

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