Pro-Palestine protesters try to storm US military base in Turkey
3 Min Read
The police reportedly tear-gased protesters in an attempt to deter them from a US airbase in Adana.
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People clash with anti-riot Turkish police officers during a protest to show their solidarity with Palestine outside U.S. - Turkish Incirlik military air base in Adana, southern Turkey, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023 (AP Photo/Mehmet Sancakzade)
According to Turkish news agency DHA, Turkish police broke up a sizable pro-Palestinian demonstration in the vicinity of the US Air Force's Incirlik Air Base in Adana with water cannons and tear gas on Sunday.
The IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation coordinated the demonstration and posted footage of the protest on social media, displaying a throng of thousands of demonstrators outside the base—a significant US and NATO outpost in the area—waving Palestinian and Turkish flags.
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People clash with anti-riot Turkish police officers during a protest to show their solidarity with Palestine outside U.S. - Turkish Incirlik military air base in Adana, southern Turkey, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023 (AP Photo/Mehmet Sancakzade)
Turkey's anti-American attitude has increased since Washington supported "Israel's" bombardment against the Gaza Strip. Over 9,700 Palestinians have died as a result of Israeli shelling of Gaza, the majority of them women and children, and the Strip is currently experiencing a humanitarian crisis like never before.
On October 25, Turkish President Erdogan said that Hamas is not a terrorist organization but a liberation group waging a battle in defense of its land.
Read next: Erdogan to 'Israel': Snap out of your 'state of insanity' on Gaza
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed to reporters on Saturday that Turkey is no longer considering Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as its "interlocutor," but the head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization, Ibrahim Kalin, remains in contact with "Israel."
However, Erdogan claimed that it was impossible to sever international diplomatic ties: "Therefore, together with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the head of the National Intelligence Organization, Ibrahim Kalin, and my fellow ministers, we use all diplomatic means, and we will continue to do so. Our main aim is to establish the final peace on the Israeli-Palestinian issue."
Ready to intervene
Just two days ago, Fidan engaged in discussions with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, a day after Iran's top diplomat had talks with Hamas leaders in Qatar, as they jointly presented a proposal for a regional conference aimed at preventing further escalation in the war in Gaza.
Last week, a Turkish diplomatic source affirmed that Turkey has no intention of reaching a point of no return in its relations with "Israel" despite growing concerns over the escalation of atrocities in the Gaza Strip.
In addition, Erdogan relayed that Turkey is prepared to assume the role of a guarantor state in the matter of the Gaza Strip.
