Erdoğan condemns Israeli offensive in Gaza, reaffirms support for Palestine

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday reiterated Türkiye’s support for the Palestinian people, condemning Israel’s prolonged military actions in Gaza.

Speaking at iftar event with Palestinians, Erdoğan emphasized that Türkiye remains steadfast in its commitment to Palestine, denouncing Israel’s offensive as a stain on human history.

“As the Turkish nation, our vigil for Jerusalem and Palestine continues. With this spirit, we have not abandoned our brothers and sisters in Gaza in the face of the Zionist regime’s 471-day-long occupation,” Erdoğan said.

Erdoğan strongly condemned Israel’s military actions in Gaza, referring to them as atrocities that amount to a second Nakba, the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948. He declared that Türkiye views Palestine as an integral part of its identity and will continue to support the Palestinian cause.

“We have always seen Palestine as the essence of our soul and our Palestinian brothers and sisters as part of our own being. We have never left them alone,” he added.

The president also criticized those who, in his words, attempt to discredit Palestinian resistance by labeling it as terrorism. “Despite those who seek to appease the Zionist regime by slandering the Palestinian resistance, we have stood by Gaza’s heroes,” Erdoğan asserted.

Highlighting the necessity of a two-state solution, Erdoğan stressed that a just and lasting peace can only be achieved with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“No project aimed at displacing Palestinians from their lands and subjecting them to a second Nakba can ever be accepted,” he stated.

Additionally, Erdoğan reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to Syria’s territorial integrity, unity, and stability. “We attach great importance to preserving Syria’s territorial unity, strengthening its national cohesion, and ensuring its peace and security,” he said.