Presidency’s Head of Communications, Fahrettin Altun, issued a statement on his social media account in both English and Turkish, condemning Israel's unlawful sanctions against international press workers.
In his statement, Head of Communications Altun said:
"The Israeli government, unfortunately, continues its lawless actions directed against the journalists who cry out to all humanity about the massacres it has committed, the bloodshed and tears it has caused, its strategy of destabilising the region, and the threat it has posed to world peace.
In recent hours, the live broadcast of TRT Arabic correspondent Fehmi Shtewe and his team from the city of Haifa was cut off by the Israeli police, and their equipment was seized—this is the latest manifestation of this insanity.
The Israeli police, acting unlawfully, proceeded to the location where Fehmi was broadcasting, used violence against the Egyptian television channel Alghad TV and the TRT Arabic team, whose sole duty is to report the news.
We vehemently condemn this heinous assault on the freedom of the press and the right to information.
We leave it to global public opinion to judge the silence of the West and its 'democratic' institutions regarding these violations, particularly if and when Israel is the perpetrator, ascribing no significance to any norms or values and completely disregarding them.
Once again, we condemn this abominable act. We will continue to be ardent followers and proponents of freedom of expression, the freedom to receive information, and the rights of media professionals."