Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a speech today, Saturday, to hundreds of thousands of his supporters at one of the largest gatherings in support of Palestinians since the war in Gaza began, in an attempt to appeal to his base of Islamist politicians on the eve of the centenary of the country’s secular republic. Erdogan told the crowd, who waved Palestinian flags: "Israel has been committing war crimes openly for 22 days, but Western leaders can't even call for a ceasefire, let alone respond to it."
He added: "We will tell the entire world that Israel is a war criminal, and we are preparing for that. We will declare that Israel is a war criminal." In his hour-long speech in Istanbul, Erdogan also reiterated that Hamas is not a terrorist organization, labeling Israel as the occupier.
Turkey condemned the killing of Israeli civilians in the attack launched by Hamas militants on southern Israel on October 7; however, last week, Erdogan referred to the Palestinian militants as "freedom fighters." He criticized the unconditional support of some Western countries for Israel, which sparked sharp backlash from Italy and Israel.
Turkey does not classify Hamas as a terrorist organization, unlike many of its NATO and European Union allies and some Gulf states. Turkey has long hosted members of the movement on its territory and has expressed support for a two-state solution, offering to play a role in negotiating the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its attack this month.
Last week, Erdogan called on all Turks to participate in the massive rally, stating: "Only our flag and the flag of Palestine will be raised." The Justice and Development Party, rooted in Islamism, expected more than a million people to attend the gathering.
The centenary of modern Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, takes place tomorrow, Sunday, and analysts suggest that news of today’s rally may overshadow reports of the planned celebrations for this occasion. Erdogan, Turkey's longest-serving leader, and his party are working to weaken support for the Western-oriented principles established by Atatürk, who is respected by most Turks. In recent years, images of Erdogan have begun to appear alongside images of Atatürk on government buildings and schools.
