Adana (Turkey). Hundreds of people at a pro-Palestinian rally on Sunday tried to attack an airport where US troops are stationed. Turkish police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. A few hours before this, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was scheduled to come to Ankara for talks on the Gaza crisis. Turkey has intensified its criticism of Israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens. Turkey is in favor of a two-state solution, while supporting the Palestinian extremist group Hamas. Protests have erupted across Turkey since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Earlier this week, the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, an Islamic Turkish aid agency, responded to the Israeli attack on Gaza and Israel Demonstrations were held at Incirlik Airport in southern Turkey’s Adana province to protest US support… Incirlik Airport is used to support the international coalition fighting the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. American soldiers are also present in it. The IHH protest called for the closure of Incirlik.
JUST IN: Turkish police disperse pro-Palestinian protesters near Incirlik air base that houses US troops pic.twitter.com/TsAjfbTz6G
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Footage of the protest showed police firing tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting slogans. Protesters broke barricades and clashed with police. Protesters were also seen hurling plastic chairs, stones and other objects at the police. Clashes broke out between the crowd and the security forces. IHH Chairman Bulent Yildirim addressed the crowd in Adana and appealed to them to refrain from attacking the police.
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He said, ‘Friends, it is wrong to throw stones or do anything like that because both the police and the soldiers want to go and fight in Gaza and they will when the time comes. Our anger is great. We can’t stop it. But Turkey is doing what it can. Clashes with police forced the organization to end its rally earlier than planned. The rally came hours before Blinken is expected to arrive in Ankara on Monday for talks on Gaza with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The rally followed repeated criticism from the West over Turkey’s support for Israel.
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Tags: America, Hamas, Israel, Turkey
First published: November 6, 2023, 13:55 IST