Ankara: On Tuesday, Turkey condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "blatant racism" after he called Israel the nation-state of "the Jewish people" only, not all its citizens. Turkey and Israel often have tense relations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, a vocal critic of Israeli policies. Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin wrote on his official Twitter account both in Turkish and English "I strongly condemn this blatant racism and discrimination,".

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He asked "1.6 million Arabs/Muslims live in Israel. Will the Western governments react or keep silent under pressure again?". In campaign mode before April 9 elections, Netanyahu said all citizens including Arabs had equal rights but referred to a deeply controversial law passed last year declaring Israel the nation-state of the Jewish people. Netanyahu wrote in response to comments from an Israeli actress "Israel is not a state of all its citizens,". He said, in comments that made waves in Israel "According to the basic nationality law we passed, Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people -- and only it,".

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Earlier, Israel and Turkey in 2016 ended a rift activated by the Israeli storming of a Gaza-bound ship that left 10 Turkish activists dead and led to a reduction of diplomatic ties. Netanyahu has been accused by critics of demonising Israeli Arabs, who make up some 17.5 percent of the population, in a bid to boost right-wing turnout for April polls.  He is facing a tough challenge from a centrist political alliance led by former military chief of staff Benny Gantz and ex-finance minister Yair Lapid.