ISTANBUL: President Tayyip Erdogan addressed hundreds of thousands of supporters at one of the largest pro-Palestinian rallies since the Israel-Hamas war began, courting his political base a day ahead of the centenary of Turkey’s secular republic.
“Israel has been openly committing war crimes for 22 days, but the Western leaders cannot even call on Israel for a ceasefire, let alone react to it,” Erdogan told the crowd in Istanbul, who waved Palestinian flags.
“We will tell the whole world that Israel is a war criminal. We are making preparations for this. We will declare Israel a war criminal,” he said.
In an hour-long speech, Erdogan also repeated his assertion that Hamas was not a terrorist organisation, describing Israel as an occupier.
Turkey has condemned Israeli civilian deaths caused by Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,400, but Erdogan this week called the group Palestinian “freedom fighters”.
He also criticised some Western nations’ unconditional support for Israel, drawing sharp rebukes from Italy and Israel.
Unlike many NATO allies, the European Union, and some Gulf states, Turkey does not consider Hamas a “terrorist” organisation. It has long hosted its members, supports a two-state solution, and has offered to play a role in negotiating the release of hostages abducted by Hamas during the October 7 assault.
Political analysts said Erdogan was keen to reinforce his criticism of Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip and to overshadow Sunday’s celebrations marking Turkey’s secular roots.
Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and director of the Centre for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies, an Istanbul-based think-tank, said Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis and pressure from political allies had prompted Erdogan to sharpen his rhetoric.
