AKP holds large pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered at a pro-Palestinian rally arranged by the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) Istanbul organization on Oct. 28.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a long address during the event held at Istanbul's Atatürk airport, condemning both Israel and Western nations for the recent events in Gaza.

"It is the West that is most responsible for the massacre in Gaza as well," he asserted, and unequivocally declared Israel as a "war criminal."

His words resonated with the crowd, many of whom waved Palestinian and Turkish flags.

The rally marked the largest pro-Palestinian demonstration in Türkiye since Oct. 7's attacks by Hamas and Israel's subsequent airstrikes in Gaza. Attendees, arriving in droves from noon onwards, chanted slogans such as "Murderer Israel" to express their outrage.

Notably, Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the ruling Nation Alliance partner Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), also attended the rally.

The event gained significant traction on social media, with the hashtag #BüyükFilistinMitingi (GreatPalestineRally) topping the trending topics list on X, formerly Twitter, in Türkiye.

Erdoğan's Israel criticism extended to Western countries, accusing them of double standards in their response to international conflicts.

"Those, who wept crocodile tears for the civilians killed in the Ukraine-Russia war, are now quietly watching the killing of thousands of innocent children," he remarked.

The president went on to condemn the Western world for allegedly legitimizing the tragedy in Gaza through political and media means, firmly stating, "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."

Further intensifying his stance, Erdoğan questioned the legitimacy of Israel's presence in the region.

"What was Gaza and Palestine in 1947, what is it today? Israel, how did you get here? How did you get in? You are an invader, you are an organization," he said. "Israel, we will declare you to the world as a war criminal. We are preparing for introducing Israel to the world as a war criminal."

The president also took aim at the opposition in Türkiye, criticizing certain politicians for their stance on the conflict.

The rally was attended by an estimated 1.5 million people, according to Erdoğan.