"From 1947 until today, Palestine has come to this day by losing its lands over and over again," Erdogan said on Tuesday in an interview with US-based NBC News.
When asked about "there are those who criticise you, Türkiye, for providing a home for Hamas, who the US say are a terrorist, and you say that you are opposed to terrorism," Erdogan said: "We are, of course, against terrorists."
"But I am one of the leaders who knows Hamas well. I have never called Hamas a terrorist organisation and I do not view Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
"Because Hamas is a resistance group that strives to protect its lands. Therefore, how can I call such a resistance group a terrorist organisation ?" Erdogan said.
Replying to a question on the October 7 attacks by Hamas against Israel, the president said the backdrop of the incident should be examined.
"We need to know the reasons that prepared the conditions for October 7. We need to understand them well. And when we examine the background of how many Palestinians were martyred, how many Palestinians were killed, the situation reaches very, very different levels," he added.
AMK/PR
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