Erdoğan attacks Netanyahu and categorically refuses to hand over to Israel an archaeological inscription found in Jerusalem during the Ottoman era
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday that Türkiye will never hand over to Israel a historic inscription found in a tunnel under Jerusalem during the Ottoman era.
Erdoğan was referring to the so-called Silvan Inscription, or Shiloh Inscription, which dates back 2,700 years and is currently preserved in the Istanbul Museum.
The issue reignited controversy on Monday when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that his attempts to reclaim the artifact were rejected in 1998 on the grounds that it could anger Islamist voters in Istanbul, where Erdoğan was mayor.
Erdoğan on Friday accused the Israeli prime minister of “inciting hatred” toward Türkiye for not returning the “Trust of Our Ancestors” inscription.
“Jerusalem is an honor, a dignity, and a source of pride for Muslims and all of humanity,” Erdoğan said, noting that Netanyahu had now “unabashedly” come out to obtain the Silwan inscription.
He added, “We’ll not give even a single pebble back to the Holy City of Jerusalem”.
The inscription was discovered in the late 19th century inside the Silwan Tunnel, an ancient aqueduct that runs under Jerusalem.
The limestone tablet describing the tunnel’s construction was found in 1880, when Jerusalem was part of the Ottoman Empire.
It was transported to Constantinople, now Istanbul, and has remained there ever since.
For Israel, this inscription is historical evidence of the Jewish presence in Jerusalem, something it has sought for years.
Speaking on Monday at the inauguration of an archaeological tunnel in Silwan, Netanyahu described the inscription as one of Israel’s “most important” archaeological discoveries after the Dead Sea Scrolls.
He recounted that in 1998 he offered Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz a wealth of Ottoman artifacts in exchange for him.
“I said, ‘We’ve thousands of Ottoman artifacts in our museums… Let’s exchange them,’ he replied, ‘No, I’m sorry, I can’t,’ I said, ‘Take all the artifacts from our museums,’ he said, ‘No, I can’t’”.
Yilmaz was then quoted as saying that there is a “growing Islamist constituency led by Erdoğan, and it would be outrageous if Türkiye handed over to Israel a tablet proving that Jerusalem was a Jewish city 2,700 years ago”.
Netanyahu continued, “Well, we are here… This is our city… Mr. Erdoğan, it’s not your city, it’s our city, and it will always remain so”.
From his part, Erdoğan responded on Wednesday, rejecting Netanyahu’s statements and pledging, “We as Muslims won’t give up our rights in East Jerusalem”.
The Turkish-Israeli relationship has sharply deteriorated over the Gaza war.
