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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a pro-Palestinian rally held in Istanbul, Türkiye, October 28, 2023. /CFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called Western powers "the main culprit" behind the Israeli army's "massacre" of Palestinians in Gaza.
"The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West," Erdogan said at a massive pro-Palestinian rally held in Istanbul on Saturday.
He told Saturday's rally that Israel was "a pawn in the region" that was being used by Western powers to stamp their authority on the Middle East.
"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," he said.
He accused Israel of behaving like a "war criminal" and accused it of trying to "eradicate" Palestinians.
"Of course, every country has the right to defend itself," he said. "But where is the justice in this case? There is no justice – just a vicious massacre happening in Gaza."
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced on Saturday that he had recalled the country's diplomatic representatives from Türkiye in response to recent comments made by the Turkish president on the Gaza conflict.
In a post on the social media platform X, Cohen said he had ordered a recall of the diplomatic representatives from Türkiye in order to carry out a reassessment of relations with the country.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also defended his soldiers at a media conference on Saturday. "Don't accuse us of war crimes. If you think that you can accuse our soldiers of war crimes that is hypocrisy. We are the most moral army in the world," he said.
Read more:
Israel 'heads into 2nd stage of war,' regional countries warn against further ground operations
(With input from agencies)
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Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466