Worthy Christian News > World News > Mass Rallies Against Turkey’s Erdogan Closely Watched In Israel (Worthy News In-Depth)

Mass Rallies Against Turkey’s Erdogan Closely Watched In Israel (Worthy News In-Depth)

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL (Worthy News) – Just days after calling Israel “a terror state that feeds on blood,” Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing the biggest protests in a decade following the detention of his anti-Hamas political rival Ekrem Imamoglu.

More rallies were expected as Imamoglu, Istanbul’s mayor and a potential presidential candidate, was due to be transferred to a courthouse late Saturday for questioning by prosecutors.

Imamoglu, 54, faces what his supporters view as “politically motivated” charges of “corruption and aiding terrorist groups.”

Saturday’s proceedings came shortly before Imamoglu was likely to be nominated Sunday as the secular opposition Republican People’s Party’s

candidate for the 2028 presidential elections. Organizers said the party’s primary, where around 1.5 million delegates can vote, will go ahead as planned.

The opposition party has also urged citizens to participate in a symbolic election on Sunday, using improvised ballot boxes across Turkey to show solidarity with Imamoglu.

Imamoglu’s arrest on Wednesday had sparked the largest protests since 2013 when Turkey was rocked by mass anti-government demonstrations that left eight people dead, observers said.

TRUSTEE MAYOR

Yet analysts warn that Imamoglu could be removed from office in Istanbul by a “trustee mayor” if he is officially charged with links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a “terrorist organization” by Turkey and its Western allies.

Dozens of other prominent figures, including two district mayors, were also detained, their plight remaining uncertain Saturday.

The tensions in Turkey were due to be closely watched in Israel in part because Imamoglu has called Hamas “a terrorist organization,” further distinguishing himself from Turkish President Erdogan.

“Hamas, of course, carried out an attack in Israel that we are deeply saddened by, and any organized structure that carries out terrorist attacks and kills people en masse is considered a terrorist organization by us,” Imamoglu told U.S. broadcaster CNN last year.

“We interpret Hamas’s attack as a bad attack, and a very bad situation, as a terrorist attack. But we also represent an understanding that stands against the oppression of Palestinians and the killing of women and children,” Imamoglu added.

The comments by the likely presidential candidate came in stark contrast to Erdogan’s criticism of Israel as it fights Hamas, which the president — himself a former Istanbul mayor — openly supports.

Erdogan has said that Hamas is “not a terrorist organization” but a “liberation group” fighting to protect Palestinian lands.

RED CARPET

In January, Erdogan rolled out the red carpet in Turkey for Hamas leader Muhammad Ismail Darwish, who replaced Ismail Haniyeh following his assassination by Israel last year.

On Monday, Erdogan labeled Israel “a terror state that feeds on blood” in comments that Jewish leaders perceived as deeply antisemitic.

At a fast-breaking dinner during the Muslims’ Ramadan period, Erdogan told military personnel that “The Zionist regime has once again shown that it is a terror state that feeds on the blood, lives, and tears of the innocent with its brutal attacks on Gaza last night.”

His comments resembled those of opposition legislator Hasan Bitmez, who suffered a heart attack in parliament in December 2023 after claiming to condemn Israel on behalf of Allah.

Bitmez collapsed at the lectern of the Turkish Grand National Assembly following his warning to Israel: “Even if you escape the torment of history, you will not be able to escape the wrath of Allah.” Worthy News reported that he said, “I salute you all,” before collapsing to the ground at the podium, with his head hitting the floor.

While Erdogan did not collapse, the arrest of his popular anti-Hamas opponent dashed hopes for those hoping to see better Turkish-Israeli ties.

It also came as a setback to protesters who seek an end to Erdogan’s perceived authoritarian rule over Turkey at a time of economic difficulties, though not all may share Imamoglu’s anti-Hamas views.

PROTESTS EXPECTED

With more protests expected, Republican People’s Party leader Özgür Özel announced “an extraordinary party congress” on April 6 to thwart authorities’ “attempts” to appoint a “trustee chairman” to lead the party.

The decision came amid concerns that authorities could annul the party’s last congress, held in 2023, over alleged vote-buying and other irregularities and appoint a handpicked leader.

There was also concern over more violence as gunmen opened fire on the Iraqi consulate in Istanbul, the Turkish and Iraqi foreign ministries said.

No injuries were reported after Friday’s incident in which unknown assailants riding on a motorcycle and armed with an assault rifle fired eight shots at the building before fleeing, officials said.

The Turkish foreign ministry vowed that “the necessary investigation is being carried out meticulously by our security units” and “those responsible will be brought to justice.”

It stated that measures were taken to secure Iraqi diplomatic missions in Ankara, Istanbul, and Gaziantep. It was not clear what may have motivated the shooting, but it added to the realization that Turkey would face more instability.

On Saturday, authorities announced that a total of 97 people were detained nationwide in the anti-Erdogan protests in which at least 16 police officers were reportedly injured.