Thousands mass at pro-Palestinian rally called by Turkey’s Erdogan

ISTANBUL — Thousands of people on Friday mass in Istanbul for a rally called by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to show solidarity with the Palestinians and condemn Israel for its response to Hamas-led clashes on the Gaza border, an AFP correspondent says.

Large crowds throng the massive Yenikapi meeting area on the shores of the sea of Marmara under the slogan “Curse the oppression, support Jerusalem,” ahead of an address by Erdogan.

Demonstrators hold Palestinian and Turkish flags and brandish slogans like “Jerusalem is our red line.”

The rally comes hours ahead of an extraordinary summit meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also called by Erdogan to denounce Israel’s handling of the Gaza clashes and the moving of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Some of the leaders and ministers set to attend the summit are present at the rally, including Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah.

“We are calling on the world and say ‘Israel, America and Zionism, you all dragged humanity into chaos,'” says protestor Levent Ayaz.

“With God’s permission, Jerusalem belongs to us and is the capital of Islam as long as this ummah (Islamic community) exists,” he adds.

— AFP