“Türkiye voices its objections at the highest level in the face of the genocide in Palestine”

 

Speaking at the Conference on the Future of Palestine, President Erdoğan said: “It is not only children, women, elderly or children who are dying in Gaza and Lebanon, but also the conscience of the humanity, and the thousands-year-long shared heritage. We have been voicing our objections and warnings at the highest level in the face of this genocide.”

President and Justice and Development (AK) Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech at the Conference on the Future of Palestine held at AK Party Congress Center in Ankara.

Stating that the attacks Israel launched on Gaza beginning with October 7 put the Palestinian issue once again on the agenda of the humanity, President Erdoğan said: “The ongoing massacres, which have claimed the lives of almost 50 thousand people, most of them children and women, have once again brought the oppression against the Palestinian people to the attention of the whole world. Israel’s genocide policy, which has expanded to Lebanon after Gaza, has led the humanity to recognize the true face of Zionism. During this period we have also seen how the Zionist lobby controls global powers and the global system, puts pressure on economy, trade, media, cinema industry, every branch of arts, academic world, universities, if not state as well as military and civil bureaucracy in some countries.”

President Erdoğan noted: “We have followed with shame how international organizations, including the United Nations Security Council, have become incapable of doing anything in the face of Israel’s spoilt acts.” 

“ISRAEL’S POLICY OF OCCUPATION AND DESTRUCTION HAS BEEN CONTINUING FOR 76 YEARS”

Underscoring that they also witness how human rights organizations and global media outlets fall into a deep silence when it comes to Palestine and the oppressed people in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, President Erdoğan stressed that such values as freedom, democracy, law, freedom of speech and press have all been put aside at once, and added: “They have killed with bombs the people whom they could not kill through hunger, thirst, lack of food, lack of medication, lack of doctor and lack of hospital. We have been following with deep sorrow all this and more since October 7. Let me especially note that although the world has opened its eyes to the Israeli atrocity after October 7, the Palestinian people have been suffering from this oppression for decades. Israel’s policy of occupation, destruction and murder has been continuing uninterruptedly for 76 years. Indeed, blood, tears and oppression have never ended in Palestine.”

Drawing attention to Israel’s Sharon massacre, Sabra and Shatila massacres and al-Quds and Jenin massacres, President Erdoğan went on to say: “I would like share briefly some of the figures in order for Israel’s policy of occupation to be understood. Israel, which has constantly expanded its occupation after Nakba, has now seized the 85 per cent of 27,000-squarekilometer Palestinian territories, that is it has occupied these territories. Afterwards, Israel has turned the Palestinians into a refugee in their homeland, and has displaced millions of Palestinians, forcing them to immigrate from their homeland.”

“WE CAN ESTIMATE WHERE THIS EXPANSIONISM WILL EXPAND TO”

Pointing out that the number of illegal settlers acting with a religious fanaticism and the amount of the usurped Palestinian territories exponentially increase each passing year, “With the separation barrier it started to build in 2002, Israel has institutionalized its apartheid regime on the Palestinian territories. Due to this separation barrier, Palestinians cannot go to many regions, including Al-Quds that is a Palestinian territory. Before the October 7 genocide, Gaza had already been under blockade for 17 years. Over 2 million Gazans were obliged to live in an open-air prison for 17 years. As a matter of fact, the Palestinian people are not the only victims of Israel’s racist, fascist policies. People of different origins, especially Jews of African origin are faced with apartheid practices.”

President Erdoğan continued as follows: “The members of the Netanyahu cabinet decipher their actual purpose, where they set their sights on and until where they want to expand their policy of occupation with every statement they make. I must stress hereby that we can estimate where this expansionism will expand to if Israel, which is becoming increasingly spoilt and increasingly fierce, is not stopped. Although some circles that lack comprehension in our country cannot see the approaching danger, we see the risk and take all kinds of measures.”

“PEOPLE OF GAZA HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH A GRAVE HUMANITARIAN TRAGEDY”

Further noting that Gaza, as a result of Israel’s brutal attacks, has turned into a huge concentration camp, where two million people have gathered around and similar of which they witnessed only during the Second World War, President Erdoğan went on to say: “People of Gaza, who are constantly dragged from the north to the south and vice versa, have been going through a grave humanitarian tragedy. It is obvious that this tragedy will further deepen with the approaching winter. The international community and the Islamic world should exert more efforts in terms of delivering more humanitarian aid to Gaza before the winter comes. It is also of utmost importance to further support the UNRWA, which help Palestinian refugees survive.”

Underscoring that by attacking the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Israel is openly challenging the United Nations, President Erdoğan said: “That no clear response has been given by the permanent members to these barbarities is as grave as the attacks. I am asking: How will the United Nations, which fails to defend the rights of its own personnel, defend the rights of others? How will the United Nations, which cannot break the hands attacking soldiers with blue helmets that read ‘UN’, prevent the dirty hands from attacking people of Gaza and Lebanon? Who will pluck the United Nations, which loses its reputation each passing day, from this whirlpool of shame? How long will the United Nations Security Council continue to watch our region turning into a sea of blood?”

“HUMANITY’S CONSCIENCE IS DYING AS WELL IN GAZA AND LEBANON”

President Erdoğan said: “With the atrocity it has been carrying out in Gaza and Lebanon, the Israeli administration has been massacring not only tens of thousands of civilians, but also all the structures, rules and values the world has built in the past century. It is not only children, women, elderly or children who are dying in Gaza and Lebanon, but also the conscience of the humanity, and the thousands-year-long shared heritage. We have been voicing our objections and warnings at the highest level in the face of this genocide.”

Stating that Türkiye stands with the Palestinians with all its means, President Erdoğan said humanitarian relief works for the Palestinians continue uninterruptedly, and that Türkiye is the only country that shows the strongest reaction to the ongoing massacre in Gaza and takes concrete measures against Israel.

Pointing to the 84,000 tons of aid supply Türkiye has delivered to Gaza with the support of Egyptian officials, President Erdoğan added: “With this amount, Türkiye has delivered the biggest amount of aid to Gaza. We are also the voice, breath and defender of the Palestinian people on all the platforms. The indispensable item on the agenda of my talks with foreign leaders is the recognition of the Palestinian state and the prevention of the massacres in Gaza.”

Stressing that they will continue to defend the Palestinian cause and the freedom fight of the Palestinian people from now on as well, President Erdoğan added that they will not stop until an independent, sovereign and geographically integrated Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East a-Quds as its capital, is established.