Thousands gathered in Istanbul’s Yenikapı fairgrounds on May 18 to condemn Israel over the killing of Gaza protesters with the call of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, just three days after his ruling AKP party struck down a call in parliament to cancel all economic, military, and political agreements with Israel.
The rally was launched under the theme "Condemning Oppression, Supporting al-Quds [Jerusalem]."
Aside from Erdoğan, fascist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, fascist Grand Unity Party (BBP) Mustafa Destici, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami al-Hamdallah, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Jordanian King Abdullah II were also present at the rally.
Addressing thousands of supporter Erdoğan, who is campaigning for presidential and parliamentary elections next month, called for Muslim solidarity and said the United Nations had lost legitimacy for failing to stand up against Washington.
"If the Muslim world stands against cruelty in Gaza together, Israel's recklessness will not last," he said.
"The United Nations, which has failed to take effective steps against the United States, has taken another blow to its already worn-out legitimacy."
"Turkey has always proved its stance on Palestine and Jerusalem by taking concrete steps through its diplomatic channels. The fact that Israel mostly targets Turkey and me is a proof that we are standing on the right side," Erdoğan said.
The rally came after the Israeli forces on Monday killed at least 61 Palestinians on the border with Gaza Strip during the protests known as the Great March of Return and riots against the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem.
Erdoğan described Monday's bloodshed as "genocide" and called Israel a "terrorist state".
ECONOMIC TIES WITH ISRAEL
Despite the rhetoric, Israel was the 10th-largest market for Turkish exports in 2017, buying some $3.4 billion of goods, according to IMF statistics.
"We have excellent economic ties with Turkey. And these relations are very important for both sides," Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon told Israel Radio on Friday when asked if Israel should break ties with Turkey.
A motion proposing the annulment of economic, military and political agreements with Israel is rejected by Erdoğan’s ruling AKP party in the Turkish Parliament on Tuesday.
Yenikapı rally took place ahead of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) emergency meeting on Palestine and is attended by the foreign guests who arrived in Istanbul for the summit.
