Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, October 28, 2023. AFP / © AFP or its licensors
The Turkish president attacks the West. This Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the former Ataturk Airport in Istanbul for a demonstration in support of Palestine. At the scene, Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave a vehement speech against Western leaders, RFI reports.
“O West, I turn to you: do you want to start a new crescent crusade against the cross? » the Turkish president shouted to the crowd. A question that quickly turned into an accusation when Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated that “the West is the main culprit in the massacres in Gaza.” “Everyone knows that Israel is just a pawn that they can sacrifice when the time comes. Because without them Israel can do nothing,” he added.
The rest after this ad
Israel recalls its diplomats from Türkiye
A diatribe that was also aimed at the Jewish state, even as the Israeli army claimed to have intensified its attacks against the Gaza Strip. “Israel, we will declare you a war criminal in front of the whole world,” the Turkish president continued, adding that “what is happening in Gaza is not self-defense, but a massacre.”
The rest after this ad
Comments that did not displease the Israeli government, which immediately recalled its diplomats to Turkey. “In light of the serious statements from Turkey, I have ordered the recall of diplomatic representatives to reassess relations between Israel and Turkey,” Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on the social network X (formerly Twitter). Israel had already ordered the evacuation of its diplomats from Turkey on Thursday, October 19, following hostile demonstrations in Istanbul and Ankara.