4th August 2014 Turkish Press Review

Most Turkish dailies covered Monday Turkish Prime Minister and presidential candidate Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s mass election rally in Istanbul Sunday. "Final Rally" says daily MILLIYET, referring to Erdogan’s campaign rally in Istanbul with seven days to go until the first round of the election. The newspaper reported that Erdogan delivered an emotional speech where he said: "I am not saying goodbye to you here today," adding that his last will is to die and be buried in Istanbul where he was born and raised. Turkish citizens go to the polls on August 10 to vote for the 12th president of the Republic of Turkey -- the first time the country's president will be elected by popular vote. Daily VATAN ran with the headline "This is not a goodbye," referring to the presidential candidate Erdogan’s huge campaign rally in Istanbul where hundreds of thousands of people gathered in a 1.2 million square meter site in Maltepe.  Some dailies focused on an Israeli attack on a UN-run school that killed at least ten people as ceasefire efforts continue in Gaza to end the conflict that has been going on since July 7. At least 1,830 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed and around 9,370 others injured in the incessant Israeli attacks. The Israeli offensive -- codenamed "Operation Protective Edge," is the Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populated Gaza Strip within the last six years.

"Israeli wiretapping of U.S. Secretary Kerry" daily HABERTURK headlined, reporting that Israel’s secret service monitored U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s phone conversations about Israeli-Palestinian peace talks last year to strengthen their position at the negotiation table.

"Every day death" a headline reads on the front page of daily AKSAM. The daily said at least 44 Palestinians were killed in fresh Israeli attacks in the blockaded Gaza Strip on Sunday and Israeli prime minister’s remarks that Israel will keep up Gaza campaign for as long as "needed."