![\"Erdogan](\"https:\/\/c.ndtvimg.com\/2023-10\/627jck7o_turkey-propaletine-protest_625x300_28_October_23.jpeg\"\/ "\\"Erdogan")
<\/div>\n“The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West,” Erdogan said. (File)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Istanbul, Turkey: <\/b><\/p>\n
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called Western powers “the main culprit” behind the Israeli army’s “massacre” of Palestinians in Gaza.<\/p>\n
The Turkish leader has been a leading international supporter of Palestinian rights during his two-decade rule.<\/p>\n
He took a more cautious line in the first days after Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on October 7 during which they seized more than 220 hostages and claimed more than 1,400 lives.<\/p>\n
But he has become much more vocal as the reported death count from Israel’s military response has grown.<\/p>\n
The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said Israeli strikes had killed 7,703 people — mainly civilians — with more than 3,500 of them children.<\/p>\n
Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted party staged a massive pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul on Saturday that the Turkish leader said had drawn a crowd of 1.5 million.<\/p>\n
He unleashed a scathing attack at Israel and its Western supporters after taking the stage with a microphone in his hand.<\/p>\n
“The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West,” Erdogan told the Turkish and Palestinian flag-waving crowd.<\/p>\n
“If we leave aside some conscientious voices… the massacre in Gaza is entirely the work of the West.”<\/p>\n
Erdogan added that Israel was behaving like a “war criminal”.<\/p>\n
“Of course, every country has the right to defend itself. But where is the justice in this case?”<\/p>\n
He accused Western powers of “shedding tears” over the death of civilians in Ukraine and turning a blind eye on the death of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.<\/p>\n
“We are against all these double standards and all these hypocrisies,” he said.<\/p>\n
And he accused Israel’s allies of creating a “crusade war atmosphere” pitting Christians against Muslims.<\/p>\n
“Listen to our call for dialogue,” President Erdogan said. “No one loses from a just peace.”<\/p>\n
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n