Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas shake hands during an official meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Aug. 12 praised Palestinians for their resilience in the face of Israeli pressure, urging the international community to step up its support for their cause.
“Despite all the intimidation and deportation attempts, the Palestinian people are standing tall. I want to once again emphasize that supporting Palestine is a shared responsibility of all humanity, particularly the Muslim world,” Erdoğan said at a joint news conference alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Turkish capital Ankara.
“We, as Türkiye, will continue to strongly defend the Palestinian cause on every platform,” he added.
Erdoğan also said the “genocidal Netanyahu government” continues its illegal actions in the occupied West Bank and occupied east Jerusalem “before the eyes of the entire world.”
“The existence of a sovereign Palestinian state is being undermined. It is impossible to ignore this or remain indifferent to it,” he said.
Erdoğan said Türkiye continues to advance the Palestinian cause on the basis of a two-state solution, in consultation with its counterparts.
He said policies of occupation, forced displacement and seizure of land continue to intensify across the region.
Citing U.N. data, Erdoğan said around 3,800 Palestinians have been displaced in 2026 alone due to occupier violence, demolitions and evictions, while nearly 100 Palestinians have been killed.
He described the situation as the result of a “systematic occupation” and a strategy of attrition aimed at making it increasingly difficult for the Palestinian administration to function on its own territory.
The Netanyahu government “seeks to remove Palestine from the global agenda by exploiting chaos and new conflicts,” he added.
Erdoğan called for the necessary conditions to be established as soon as possible to launch the reconstruction and rebuilding process in Gaza and ensure security in the enclave.
He added that despite Palestinians’ constructive stance, Israel’s current government continues its uncompromising and aggressive approach.
“We are particularly strongly opposed to provocations aimed at changing the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque... and other holy sites,” Erdoğan said.
Reiterating Ankara’s support for Palestinian statehood, Erdoğan said that Türkiye would resolutely work for the establishment of an independent and geographically contiguous Palestinian state, with occupied east Jerusalem as its capital.
He welcomed the decision to hold legislative and presidential elections in Palestine, expressing hope they will advance reconciliation and strengthen Palestinian unity.
“I thank the president and his esteemed delegation for their visit and extend my heartfelt greetings and affection to the entire Palestinian people,” Erdoğan added.
