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Erdogan Accuses the West: The Main Culprit in Gaza Strip Massacres

2023-10-29 13:35:43

The president of the NATO member state Turkey has – once once more – massively changed his tone towards his allies.

At a large rally in Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (69) accused the West of being “the main culprit in the massacres in the Gaza Strip.”

Apart from “some with a conscience who raised their voices,” these “massacres are entirely the work of the West,” Erdogan said Saturday at a pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul.

Regarding the massacres of Hamas terrorists, the slaughter of children, women, more than 1,000 civilians, the kidnapping of 229 people as hostages: not a word of criticism.

Threats once morest Israel and the West

In his speech to several hundred thousand participants, Erdogan instead accused Western countries of creating “a crusade atmosphere” once morest Muslims and starting a new “war between the cross and the crescent moon”.

“If you have such an intention, then remember, this nation is still alive,” Erdogan shouted. “Just as we acted in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, we will also act in the Middle East. You can “come unexpectedly every night”.

An open threat to interfere in the war between Israel and Hamas.

“Erdogan wants to present himself as a leader”

Is Erdogan really serious? “Erdogan has been using the rhetoric with the cross and crescent moon for years whenever he has to accept criticism from the West,” says Eren Güvercin, project manager at the Alhambra Society and FDP politician. This time he is also interested in presenting himself as a leader of the Muslim world once morest the West.

With this type of mobilization he is not primarily targeting Turks abroad, such as the approximately 3 million people of Turkish origin in Germany. However, he consciously accepts that he will exacerbate anti-Semitic sentiments among Muslims, thus adding fuel to the fire.

A fact that the federal government must now quickly position itself on. Especially since Erdogan is expected to be in Berlin shortly before the friendly football match between Germany and Turkey in Berlin (November 18th) at the invitation of the Chancellor (date not yet confirmed). A stadium that is probably at least half full of Turkey fans is already raising fears that the game might be misused for political symbols or chants.

Israel recalls diplomats

In his speech, Erdogan once once more made the attacked Israelis perpetrators of “war crimes”: “Last night’s bombings were once once more directed once morest women, children and innocent civilians,” Erdogan claimed.

Israel’s army has been emphasizing for days that the military operation is directed once morest the Hamas leadership and its infrastructure. Civilians are warned of attacks – unlike the Hamas massacre, which surprised residents of the border areas mostly while they were sleeping or – in the case of the Peace Festival – while dancing.

Jerusalem reacted immediately: “In view of the serious statements from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives in order to reassess relations between Israel and Turkey,” said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.

Erdogan defends Hamas murderers

Background: Erdogan has just canceled a planned visit to Israel. Tensions were sparked by his claim that Hamas was not a terrorist organization but a “group of liberators” defending their country. It is also the moderate Palestinians who have been suffering from hatred and violence from the Islamists in the Gaza Strip for years. No Jews have lived there since the last settlements were cleared (2005).