ISTANBUL (AP) — A Turkish court on Thursday issued a ruling that effectively removed the head of the country’s main opposition party by annulling a 2023 congress that elected him.

The move deals a serious blow to the beleaguered Republican People’s Party, or CHP, as it struggles under waves of legal cases targeting its members and elected officials.

An appeals court in Turkey’s capital Ankara declared the CHP congress that picked Ozgur Ozel as chairman to be null, ordering that he should be replaced by his predecessor, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Last year, a lower court ruled against claims of irregularities and misconduct surrounding Ozel’s election but Thursday’s decision overturned the original verdict.

The ruling led to frantic meetings at the CHP’s Ankara headquarters, further threatening the opposition’s chances of unseating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after more than two decades in office. Large crowds gathered outside the office block and police erected barriers.

The next presidential election is due in 2028 but Erdogan can call for an early vote. His main challenger, the CHP mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu, has been imprisoned since March last year and is currently on trial on corruption charges.

The appeals court’s decision suspends Ozel and members of the party’s executive board from their duties. They will be “provisionally” replaced by Kilicdaroglu and those who held office before the November 2023 congress.

In comments to broadcaster TV100, Kilicdaroglu called for party members to remain calm. “Our party is a very large party and it will solve its own problems internally,” he said. The 77-year-old was removed following a 13-year tenure as leader, during which the CHP failed to win any national elections.

Ozel, meanwhile, attempted to rally supporters.

“I am not promising you a path to power through a rose garden,” he posted on X following the ruling. “I am promising you the ability to endure suffering but never surrender. I am promising you honor, dignity, courage and struggle!”

The CHP is expected to challenge Thursday’s ruling in the Supreme Court in the coming days.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek, who oversaw several cases against the CHP in his former role as Istanbul’s chief prosecutor, described the court’s ruling as one that “reinforces our citizens’ trust in democracy.”

Many observers have said that the legal cases against the CHP — mostly centered on corruption allegations — are politically motivated and aimed at neutralizing the party ahead of the next election. The government, however, insists that Turkey’s courts are impartial and act independently of political pressure.

Erdogan has ruled Turkey, first as prime minister and then as president, since 2003. His electoral record suffered a serious blow in 2019 when the CHP seized control of several major cities in local elections. In Istanbul, Imamoglu emerged as a popular and charismatic figure that many felt could successfully topple Erdogan.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces intercepted Tuesday six remaining vessels from a much larger activist flotilla attempting to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Two other boats are still on their way to the Palestinian territory, according to the activist group’s livestream.

A live feed on the Global Sumud Flotilla website showed armed Israeli soldiers on Zodiac boats boarding the Andros, Zefiro, Don Juan, Alcyone and Elengi vessels as activists donning life vests held their arms up. Israeli soldiers then destroyed cameras mounted on the activists’ boats.

This is the group’s latest effort to underscore the grim living conditions of nearly 2 million Palestinians in the coastal territory, suffering from severe shortages of housing, food, and medicine.

The flotilla boats were stopped around 90-100 miles (145-160 kilometers) from the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla’s website tracker.

The vessels departed last week from the port of Marmaris, Turkey, in what flotilla organizers described as the final leg of their planned journey to Gaza’s shores.

Detained activists ‘being forcibly transported,’ group says

On Monday, the Israeli navy stopped some 41 boats from the activist flotilla in international waters off Cyprus, detaining those on board.

The Global Sumud Flotilla said in a statement Tuesday the hundreds of detained activists from over 40 nations were “being forcibly transported” by an Israeli naval ship to an unnamed port, due to arrive at its destination shortly.

More than a dozen Irish nationals were aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, including the sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly. Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin on Monday called Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound boats in international waters “absolutely unacceptable.”

The Flotilla said it demanded the “immediate, unconditional release of all our participants, alongside the more than 9,000 unjustly detained Palestinian political prisoners” and urged world leaders to press for the same.

The activist group also warned of “grave and immediate concerns” about the physical safety of all those detained following testimonies from other activists detained during an Apr. 30 interdiction. At the time, the activists detailed “patterns of torture, severe physical abuse, and invasive sexual violence” by Israeli forces, allegations Israel denies.

Several nations have condemned the interdictions, with Turkey and Hamas calling them an act of “piracy.” Italy, Spain and Indonesia called on Israel to release all the detained activists and to ensure their safety and well-being. An estimated 45 Spanish nationals took part in the flotilla.

Israel had called the flotilla “a provocation for the sake of provocation” with no real intent to deliver any aid to Gaza. The boats carry a symbolic amount of aid.

The Israeli defense body overseeing humanitarian aid to Gaza claims that sufficient aid is entering the territory, with around 600 trucks delivering assistance daily, similar to prewar levels.

According to a World Food Program report, the number of humanitarian and commercial trucks entering the Gaza Strip declined sharply in March compared with previous months following the Iran war. A daily average of only 112 trucks entered in March, compared to 230 in February and 225 in January.

A nearly two-decade blockade

Israel has maintained a sea blockade of Gaza since the Palestinian militant group Hamas took control of the territory in 2007, which Israeli authorities intensified in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage.

Critics say the blockade amounts to collective punishment.

Israel has said the blockade, which restricts the movement of goods and people in and out of Gaza, was meant to prevent Hamas from arming itself. Egypt, which has the only border crossing with Gaza not controlled by Israel, has also greatly restricted movement in and out of the enclave.

Gaza has seen near-daily Israeli fire with more than 850 people killed in the territory despite a ceasefire that went into effect in October, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry says Israel’s retaliatory offensive following the Oct. 7 attack has killed more than 72,700 people. The ministry, part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, does not give a breakdown between civilians and militants.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Israeli military intercepted Monday boats off the coast of Cyprus, part of the latest wave of flotilla activists attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.

More than 50 vessels departed from the port in Marmaris, Turkey, last week in what the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla described as the final leg of their planned journey to Gaza’s shores.

The organization’s livestream on Monday showed activists aboard several vessels putting on life jackets and raising their hands before a boat carrying Israeli troops approached. Wearing tactical gear, they boarded the ship, and the livestream abruptly ended. Many of the ships are currently off the coast of Cyprus.

Other footage showed Israeli forces on speedboats approaching and instructing the activists to move to the front of the boat. At least 17 boats were intercepted in the first three hours of the operation, according to Global Sumud Flotilla’s tracker.

Israeli troops boarded the flotilla vessels in broad daylight

Organizers said the boats were intercepted 250 nautical miles from the shores of Gaza. Unlike previous interceptions, which mostly took place under the cover of night, the Israeli military boarded the boats in broad daylight.

Israel has maintained a blockade over Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007, a year after winning Palestinian parliamentary elections. The blockade restricts the movement of goods and people in and out of Gaza. Egypt has also occasionally closed the Rafah crossing, which, before the current war, was the only border crossing not under Israel’s control.

Critics consider it collective punishment.

The flotilla organizers said they expect the activists to be taken to the port of Ashdod, in southern Israel. Activists on previous flotillas were brought to the same port, where some were processed and immediately deported, while others requested a trial and were detained.

Israel accuses flotilla of being a provocation as Turkey condemns attack

An hour prior to the interception, Israel’s Foreign Ministry called on activists to “change course and turn back immediately.”

“Once again, a provocation for the sake of provocation: another so-called “humanitarian aid flotilla” with no humanitarian aid,” the Foreign Ministry posted on X.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the ongoing operation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, watching the operation from the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, commended the soldiers for “thwarting a malicious plan designed to break the isolation we are imposing on Hamas terrorists in Gaza.”

Netanyahu was supposed to be in court on Monday to testify in his ongoing corruption trial, but requested a cancellation due to all-day security meetings.

Hamas has condemned Israel’s attack on the flotilla as a “full-fledged crime of piracy.” The militant group called on the international community to pressure Israel to end its blockade of Gaza.

Turkey echoed Hamas’ piracy accusation and called on Israel to immediately halt the operation and release the flotilla participants.

“Israel’s attacks and intimidation policies will in no way prevent the international community’s pursuit of justice or its solidarity with the Palestinian people,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Turkey was working to secure the safe return of its own citizens taking part in the flotilla, the ministry added.

Around 20 boats from the flotilla were intercepted last month

On April 30, Israeli forces intercepted more than 20 boats from a flotilla near the southern Greek island of Crete, initially holding about 175 activists. Israeli officials said they had to act early because of the high number of boats involved.

Israel took two of the activists — a Spanish-Swedish citizen of Palestinian origin, Saif Abukeshek, and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila — back to Israel, where they were interrogated and detained for several days. The activists accused Israeli forces of torture, which Israel denied. Brazil and Spain condemned Israel for “kidnapping” their citizens. The two were deported from Israel after about a week in detention.

Organizers say the latest efforts involved a regrouped fleet joined by additional boats. Nearly 500 activists from 45 countries were taking part.

Previous flotillas failed to reach Gaza

The activists’ attempt comes less than a year after Israeli authorities foiled a previous effort by the group to reach Gaza, which involved about 50 vessels and around 500 activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela and several European lawmakers.

Israel arrested, detained and later deported the participants, who claimed Israeli authorities abused them while in detention. Israeli authorities denied the accusations.

The Israeli action raised questions about what any nation can legally do to enforce a blockade in international waters. Several world leaders and human rights groups have condemned Israel, saying it violated international law.

Previous efforts to breach the blockade have also failed. In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Turkish boat Mavi Marmara, which had been participating in an aid flotilla attempting to reach Gaza. Nine Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American on board were killed. The last time an activist boat succeeded in reaching Gaza was in 2008.

Flotilla aims to draw attention to the situation in Gaza

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile, and the top diplomat overseeing it says it has stalled because of the deadlock over disarming Hamas. Both sides have traded accusations of violations. Gaza has seen near-daily Israeli fire with more than 850 people killed in the Palestinian territory since the ceasefire went into effect in October, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry is part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, but staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community. The ministry says Israel’s retaliatory strikes in the war have devastated the Palestinian enclave and killed more than 72,700 people.

The flotillas have been criticized for bringing minute amounts of aid on tiny ships. The Israeli defense body overseeing humanitarian aid to Gaza claims that sufficient aid is entering Gaza, with around 600 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entering Gaza daily, similar to prewar levels.

Nonetheless, around 2 million Gaza residents are still living with severe shortages of housing, food and medicine.

Flotilla organizers have said they hope their latest attempt to reach Gaza will help highlight the living conditions endured by Palestinians in the territory, particularly as global attention has shifted its focus to the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran.

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Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Samy Magdy contributed from Cairo.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey removed a restriction on direct trade with Armenia on Wednesday in a symbolic gesture toward improved ties between the longtime rivals.

Turkey and Armenia have no formal relations and their joint border has been closed since the 1990s. Relations between the neighbors have been strained over historic grievances and Turkey’s alliance with Azerbaijan.

Armenia and Turkey agreed in late 2021 to work toward improving the relationship and appointed special envoys to discuss ways to reconcile and open the border. The efforts have resulted in the resumption of direct flights between the two countries and the easing of some visa restrictions.

Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Oncu Keceli said Wednesday on social media platform X that technical and bureaucratic work aimed at opening the shared border was continuing.

Under a new arrangement, shipments of goods from Turkey or Armenia through a third country may now directly list their final destination or point of origin as Turkey or Armenia, lifting a prior restriction on such designations, Keceli said.

“In the light of the historic opportunity seized to strengthen lasting peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus, Türkiye will continue to contribute to the development of economic relations in the region and to further advancing cooperation for the benefit of all countries and peoples of the region,” Keceli wrote, using the government’s preferred spelling for Turkey.

Armenia welcomed the move.

“We would like to emphasize that this is an important step toward the establishment of full and normalized relations between the two countries, which could logically continue through the opening of the Armenia-Turkey border and the establishment of diplomatic relations,” Armenian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ani Badalyan said on X.

Turkey, a close ally of Azerbaijan, shut down its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of solidarity with Baku, which was locked in a conflict with Armenia over Karabakh, a region internationally known as Nagorno-Karabakh.

In 2020, Turkey strongly backed Azerbaijan in its six-week conflict with ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia over Karabakh, which resulted in Azerbaijan regaining control of a significant part of the region and areas around it. Azerbaijan used Turkish military equipment in the conflict, including combat drones.

Turkey and Armenia also have a long and bitter relationship over the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in massacres, deportations and forced marches that began in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey.

Historians widely view the event as genocide. Turkey vehemently rejects the label, conceding many died in that era but insisting the death toll is inflated and the deaths resulted from civil unrest.

DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Alex Fitzpatrick thought he’d be playing in Turkey this week. Being near the top of the leaderboard at Doral is a fine change of plans.

A week removed from teaming with his brother Matt and winning the Zurich Classic — a victory that earned him membership on the PGA Tour — Fitzpatrick remained hot Friday. He shot a bogey-free round of 6-under 66, getting to 6 under at the midpoint of the Cadillac Championship at Trump International Doral.

It’s not something he expected a few months ago. Or even a few days ago, really.

“The text messages and stuff has slowed down, but the overwhelming feeling of like joy and happiness is yet to go away,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think for me, this year, it’s going to be a whirlwind and no matter what happens it will be a success. I can’t believe how many people have come up to me and congratulated me … players and caddies and staff. It’s been incredible.”

Fitzpatrick had a ticket for a Sunday night flight that would have taken him from New Orleans to Turkey for this week’s stop on the DP World Tour, then changed those arrangements in a hurry to get to Miami and begin prepping for his first $20 million signature event.

He’s called this week “the first day of school” as he gets a real taste of life on the PGA Tour.

So far, the report card has been just fine. He got through a five-birdie, five-bogey roller-coaster to shoot an even-par 72 on Thursday, then had the six-birdie, no-bogey day on Friday.

“I think the nice thing is it feels like I’m doing the right things with my golf game. I’m working towards the right things,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s exciting. I feel like my game has been good for a while now. I think for a few months it didn’t really translate on the golf course how I would have liked, but it’s really taken a turn the past two months. I feel in control of my ball, which is nice. So, hopefully I keep hitting fairways and hitting greens and we’ll see what happens this weekend.”

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish authorities detained over 500 May Day demonstrators on Friday for attempting to march in areas declared off-limits.

Protests marking International Workers’ Day, a national holiday in Turkey, are frequently marred by clashes with authorities, which have declared Istanbul’s central Taksim Square a no-go area for protesters on security grounds. More than 30 people were killed in violence at the square during May Day protests in 1977.

On Friday, small groups of protesters kept popping up around Taksim Square, attempting to breach the police blockade, holding union banners and chanting for the square to be reopened.

The main gathering point was the nearby Mecidiyekoy district, where hundreds of participants were met with water cannons and pepper spray before being detained.

The detentions come a day after Turkey’s top Constitutional Court ruled that three people who were detained for 58 days in 2024 on May Day had their right to peaceful assembly violated, setting a precedent for May Day protests.

The Istanbul governor’s office said that the public had been informed of the safety precautions beforehand. “Certain marginal groups dismissed the precautions, and clashed with police officers as they do every year,” it said, adding that 575 people were detained by 6 p.m. Friday.