Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned that Turkey is preparing to declare war against Israel if it continues committing war crimes in Gaza, sparking fears that a massive Holy War is about to break out worldwide.
Erdogan addressed over a million pro-Palestine supporters at a rally in Istanbul, declaring Israel as a “war criminal” that may be met with military force very soon.
“The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West. Israel 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,” Erdogan told the crowd.
“With this attitude, the West has accumulated a lot of sins.”
“Israel, we will declare you as a war criminal to the world. We are making preparations for this right now.”
Israel says it’s recalling its diplomats and reevaluating relations with Turkey after comments by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a Palestine solidarity rally in… pic.twitter.com/W9wdfW0wXR
— 5Pillars (@5Pillarsuk) October 28, 2023
Infowars.com reports: Erdogan also compared Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza to the Holocaust.
“In the past they were massacring the Jewish people in the gas chambers and they were indeed wiping out whole regions with bombs. A similar mentality is being shown in Gaza today,” he said.
“We will tell the whole world that Israel is a war criminal. We are making preparations for this. We will declare Israel a war criminal.”
“From now on, we will continue on our path with the motto that we may suddenly knock on your door one night,” he added.
The crowd enthusiastically responded with the chant, “Turkish military to Gaza.”
🇹🇷🇵🇸 MASSIVE pro-Palestine protest in TURKEY! pic.twitter.com/YsoKFyPaRF
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) October 28, 2023
Erdogan also defended Hamas jihadists as “freedom fighters” and accused Israel of illegally occupying Palestinian land.
This is the point where I admit that my dream of a new dawn in Turkish-Israeli relations is fading.
“Israel, how did you end up here? How did you get here? You are an occupier. You are a group, not a state,” President Erdogan said at the rally in Istanbul
“The West owes you… pic.twitter.com/sYe66Ecw7b
— Mike (@Doranimated) October 28, 2023
Israel has launched relentless airstrikes in Gaza for weeks in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on the Jewish nation.
In response, 120 countries during a United Nations general assembly on Friday voted in favor of adopting a resolution calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce.”
Israel cut off power and communications for millions of people trapped in Gaza on Friday before launching the first wave of its ground invasion as tanks and thousands of troops advanced on the Palestinian enclave.
Israel recalled its diplomats from Turkey in reaction to Erdogan’s remarks.
Erdogan’s full speech: