Turkey demands Israeli consul general to leave

ANKARA - The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday demanded Israel's Consul General in Istanbul to leave the country "for a while" over Israeli violence on the Gaza border.

Turkey also summoned and demanded the Israeli ambassador in Ankara Eitan Naeh to leave the country on Tuesday.

Hours after Ankara's decision, Israel in response ordered the Turkish consul general in Jerusalem Gurcan Turkoglu to leave "for a period of time," the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement.

The Turkish Ambassador to Tel Aviv Kemal Okem has arrived in Ankara after being recalled for consultations on Monday.

The tit-for-tat diplomatic move between two countries came after following indiscriminate violence and killings by Israeli soldiers along the Gaza border, causing new tension on bilateral relations.

Turkey strongly condemned the US for opening its embassy in Jerusalem and Israel for killing Palestinian protestors on the border rallies.

More than 62 Palestinians have been killed and 2,700 others wounded in clashes with Israeli security troops since Monday on the border between Israel and Gaza.