ANKARA — An Israeli airstrike that killed at least 21 Palestinian civilians in the western town of Rafah on Tuesday further angered public in Turkey and sparked further protests in the country.
More than 100 people gathered outside the high-rise building that houses the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, chanting “Down with Israel”. Videos circulating on social media platforms showed some protesters hurling fireworks at the building. Videos circulated widely on X platforms showed small fires breaking out in nearby streets.
Dozens of people sat in front of the Israeli consulate in Istanbul to protest Israel’s treatment of Palestinian refugees who fled Rafah. pic.twitter.com/KEgZqKR04Y
— Tech News (@TechTdv) May 28, 2024
Other groups of protesters gathered near the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul and in Turkey’s Mediterranean coastal province of Adana.
Israel withdrew its diplomats from Turkey in October citing security concerns, but some low-level staff have reportedly returned to their posts.
Protests continued late on Tuesday, with university students gathering on campuses in at least nine provinces to speak out against the Jewish state over the massacre that took place overnight, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency.
Speaking in Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said last night’s bombing of Rafah represented “another massacre being carried out by Israel in Gaza”.
Turkey’s National Security Council, which met late Tuesday and was chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, implicitly criticized the United States over police intervention in pro-Palestinian protests on several U.S. university campuses.
“Actions aimed at stifling growing voices from around the world calling for an end to Israel’s crimes against humanity once again reveal the insincerity of those who claim to defend the rule of law, democracy and freedom of expression,” said a statement issued after the bimonthly meeting.
