Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the 78th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 19, 2023. Portal/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire LICENSE RIGHTS
ANKARA, Oct 11 (Portal) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Israel’s blockade and bombing of the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas was a disproportionate response amounting to a “massacre.”
While Ankara offered to mediate, Erdogan and his foreign minister held talks with regional powers, the United States and others. However, Israel’s envoy in Ankara said it was too early to discuss mediation.
Speaking to his ruling AK Party in parliament, Erdogan said even the war had a “morality” but the upswing since the weekend had violated it “very seriously.”
“Preventing people from meeting their most basic needs and bombing homes where civilians live – in short, waging conflict using all sorts of nefarious methods – is not a war, it is a massacre,” he said, referring to This refers to Israel turning off electricity and water to Gaza and destroying the infrastructure.
Turkey, which has supported Palestinians and harbored members of Hamas in the past, is working to improve ties with Israel after years of hostility. Unlike the European Union and the USA, Ankara does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
While Turkey does not openly blame Israel, it says the fighting stems from years of injustice against the Palestinians and that the only path to peace is the formation of a sovereign Palestinian state under a two-state solution.
On Wednesday, Erdogan criticized Israel’s “disproportionate” attacks on Gaza as “having no ethical basis” and urged the world not to “blindly” take sides. Leaving the basic problem unresolved would lead to new, more violent conflicts, he warned.
“We call on countries in the Americas, Europe and other regions to adopt a fair, just and humanitarian balance-based position between the parties. Everyone should refrain from actions that entirely punish the Palestinian people, such as blocking humanitarian aid,” he said.
Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler and Andrew Cawthorne
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