In front of several hundred thousand people gathered on the tarmac of the former Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on Saturday, October 28, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan donned his favorite uniform, that of the champion of the Palestinian cause and the street Arab. With the traditional checkered scarf around his neck, microphone in hand and without notes, the head of state relentlessly accused the West of being “the main culprit in the massacres in Gaza” for almost fifty minutes on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic Israel to commit “war crimes.”
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A tone and attitude reminiscent of those he adopted at the Davos Forum in 2009, where, after weeks of negotiations in the region, he turned the tables on Shimon Peres with his “fury attack” after the IDF launched Operation Operation . “Cast lead” against Hamas.
After recalling the expansion of the Ottoman Empire and the fact that “Gaza was [alors] “An integral part of the homeland,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated that Hamas is “not a terrorist organization.” “When I said that, Israel was worried,” the Turkish president added. I knew it, and I said it knowingly. »
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In his own style, asking and answering the questions himself, the head of state made a point of sharply challenging Western capitals and Israeli leaders: “What was the situation in 1947?” [juste avant la création de l’Etat d’Israël en 1948] ? How did you come here? You are an intruder. The West owes you something, but Turkey owes you nothing, which is why we speak to you like this. Western countries come to visit you and ask for forgiveness. We are on the side of the oppressed. » President Erdogan added: “With the exception of some remorseful people who raised their voices, these massacres [à Gaza] are exclusively the work of the West. »
“Turkey will be the hope of the oppressed”
In a more serious tone he continues: “You have mourned the civilians killed in Ukraine, why this silence in the face of the children killed in Gaza?” O West: Do you want to create a new atmosphere of the Crusades against the Crescent? », emblem of the Muslim religion. “Everyone knows that Israel cannot make a move without them,” he continued, criticizing Western powers for not calling for a ceasefire.
He assured that 1.5 million people had attended the meeting and continued: “Israel, we will declare you a war criminal in front of the whole world, you are the occupiers, you are the invaders.” And then this: “Of course Every country has the right to defend itself, but where is justice?” What is happening in Gaza is not self-defense, but a massacre. » Before we conclude: “The oppression of Israel will surely end one day.” Turkey will be the hope of the oppressed, as it was for five hundred years and during World War II. »
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