Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday escalated his condemnation of Israel, calling the Jewish state a “war criminal” and repeating his stance that Hamas is not a terror organisation.
Speaking to thousands of people waving Turkish and Palestinian flags at a rally in Istanbul, Erdoğan said “we will tell the world Israel is a war criminal.”
Erdoğan added that “Hamas is not a terrorist organisation”, and referred to Israel as an “occupier”. The Turkish president had on Wednesday made similar comments, which sparked concerns in western capitals, according to several diplomats.
Frustration over Israel’s strikes in Gaza was also aimed at the west, with Erdogan saying: “The west is responsible for the massacre in Gaza.”
Source: FT
