ISTANBUL (Agencies): At a massive pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel was an occupier in its war in Gaza, and repeated his stance about Hamas not being a terrorist organisation. “I reiterate that Hamas is not a terrorist organisation. Israel was very offended by this … Israel is an occupier, Erdogan speaks clearly because Turkey does not owe you anything,” he told hundreds of thousands of supporters on Saturday.
People gathered at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport for a rally organised by Turkey’s governing AK Party to protest against Israel’s continued bombardment of the Gaza Strip and call for a ceasefire. Demonstrators chanted pro-Palestinian slogans and waved Turkish and Palestinian flags at the event dubbed the “Great Palestine Meeting” on Saturday, as Israel pushed forward with its “expanded” ground operation amid a near-total communications blackout in the Gaza Strip.
The rally was attended by leaders of other political parties, as well as high-profile media and sports figures – some of whom were expected to take to the stage during the event, local media reported. Erdogan told the crowd that Western powers were “the main culprit” behind the Israeli army’s “massacre” of Palestinians in Gaza.
“The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West,” said. Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from the rally, said this was “by far one of the strongest speeches that we’ve heard” from the president. Protesters were seen wearing headbands with inscriptions such as “We are all Palestinians”, “End the genocide”, or “Be the voice of Palestinian children”. — Aljazeera
