Turkish president angers Israel by referring to Hamas as \u201cfreedom fighters\u201d amid relentless aggression in Gaza
\nISTANBUL
\nPresident 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\u2019s secular republic.
\n\u201cIsrael 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,\u201d Erdogan told the crowd in Istanbul, who waved Palestinian flags.
\n\u201cWe will tell the whole world that Israel is a war criminal. We are making preparations for this. We will declare Israel a war criminal,\u201d he said.
\nIn an hour-long speech, Erdogan also repeated his assertion that Hamas was not a terrorist organisation, describing Israel as an occupier.
\nTurkey has condemned Israeli civilian deaths caused by Hamas\u2019s October 7 attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,400, but Erdogan this week called the group Palestinian \u201cfreedom fighters\u201d.
\nHe also criticised some Western nations\u2019 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 \u201cterrorist\u201d organisation.
\nIt 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.
\nPolitical analysts said Erdogan was keen to reinforce his criticism of Israel\u2019s bombardment of the Gaza Strip and to overshadow Sunday\u2019s celebrations marking Turkey\u2019s secular roots.
\nSinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and director of the Centre for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies, an Istanbul-based think-tank, said Gaza\u2019s worsening humanitarian crisis and pressure from political allies had prompted Erdogan to sharpen his rhetoric.
\nTurkey \u201cwill protect its principles and share these with the international community, but it needs to do this with a more delicate diplomacy if it expects to play such a diplomatic role,\u201d Ulgen said.
\nThe heads of allied nationalist and religious parties \u2014 which helped Erdogan secure victory in tight May elections \u2014 attended the rally at Istanbul\u2019s old airport. Erdogan criticised opposition parties for not calling Netanyahu a \u201cterrorist\u201d and for using the same term with reference to Hamas.
\nAtaturk legacy
\nErdogan had invited all Turks to attend the rally where he said \u201conly our flag and the Palestine flag will wave\u201d. His AK Party had predicted more than a million people would come. Modern Turkey\u2019s 100th anniversary comes on Sunday when newspaper headlines could be dominated by news of the Saturday rally rather than celebrations of the republic\u2019s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, analysts say.
\nErdogan, Turkey\u2019s longest-serving leader, and his AK Party have eroded support for the Western-facing ideals of Ataturk. In recent years, Erdogan\u2019s portraits have appeared alongside those of Ataturk on government buildings and schools.
\n\u201cThe symbolism is clear and no one in Turkey is unaware of it \u2014 that the pro-Palestinian rally is likely to overshadow celebrations for the centennial of the secular republic,\u201d said Asli Aydintasbas, visiting fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
\nShe said that while Erdogan\u2019s comments about Hamas reflected Ankara\u2019s long-held position, he aimed to benefit from anti-Israel sentiment domestically and \u201cconsolidate Turkey\u2019s Sunni conservatives\u201d.
\nThe government has said the Israel-Hamas conflict will not restrict celebrations of the 100th anniversary, for which it has organised events across the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Turkish president angers Israel by referring to Hamas as \u201cfreedom fighters\u201d amid relentless aggression in Gaza 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\u2019s secular republic. \u201cIsrael has been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":364685,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-364661","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n