Turkish and German leaders air deep differences on the Israel-Hamas war

By GEIR MOULSON
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have aired deep differences over the war between Israel and Hamas as the Turkish leader makes a brief and tensely anticipated visit to Berlin. Erdogan was invited to visit Germany months ago after his reelection, but recent weeks have been marked by discomfort in Berlin over his increasingly strident stance against Israel. Turkey has long been viewed as an awkward but essential partner in Germany. It’s a NATO ally that also is important in efforts to control the flow of refugees and migrants to Europe, an issue on which Scholz faces intense domestic pressure, but there have been frequent tensions in recent years.