The president of Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan, Wednesday, maintained that the Hamas militants of Palestine who are fighting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are not terrorists but a liberation group.
Erdogan addressed Turkish lawmakers, criticising the West, especially the United States, for siding with Israel and calling Hamas a terrorist group.
According to the Turkish PM, Hamas is fighting for their land.
“Hamas is not a terrorist organisation, it is a liberation group, waging a battle to protect its lands and people,” he told the lawmakers.
Erdogan urged Muslim countries particularly the Arab world to act in unison and secure a lasting peace in the region and between Israel and Palestine.
He also called for an immediate cease-fire by the parties.
Erdogan berated Israel’s Western allies for supporting the retaliatory bombardment against Hamas.
“Western tears shed for Israel are a manifestation of fraud,” the president said.
Meanwhile, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has described Erdogan’s comments as “grave and disgusting and did not help with de-escalation.”
Recall that Hamas infiltrated Southern Israel on October 7 and killed over 1,000 Israelis including children and grannies.
Hamas took responsibility for the attack while accusing Israel of “desecrating the al-Asqa mosque” in Jerusalem and unjustly occupying Palestinian territory.
The Israeli side commenced a military offensive against Hamas afterwards, vowing to “wipe out Hamas terrorists from the face of the earth”.
The development has forced a series of meetings at the United Nations Security Council, the apex organ of the global body.
But the council has yet to come up with a unanimous decision on the Israel-Palestine crisis as the U.S. and Russia have been using their veto power to block any resolution that does not favour its foreign policy towards the affected parties.
For now, individual countries are voicing their independent sovereign position on the matter.
The ongoing conflict has killed over 6,000 persons on both sides.
