“The world cannot find peace without holding perpetrators of the Gaza genocide accountable”

 

Addressing AK Party’s parliamentary group meeting, President Erdoğan said: “We will be chasing perpetrators of the genocide to make sure they are brought to justice. All should accept that the world cannot find peace, nor can it remain clean, without holding perpetrators of the Gaza genocide accountable. No one should expect us to remain silent or soften our words.”

President and Justice and Development (AK) Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech at the party's parliamentary group meeting.

“I SEND MY HEARTFELT GREETINGS TO ALL OUR PALESTINIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS ON NAKBA DAY”

Noting that today marks the 76th anniversary of NAKBA, President Erdoğan stated: “Today, May 15, is a very meaningful day for us and for all the Palestinians across the world. Today marks the 76th anniversary of NAKBA, also known as the GREAT CATASTROPHE. When the Ottoman State had to withdraw from the Palestinian territories, the Zionists started to occupy these lands step by step under the patronage of the British. The first mass massacre in the Palestinian territories started with the withdrawal of the Ottomans in 1918. Zionist gangs and Zionist terrorist organizations uprooted the Palestinians from their lands and forced them to migration by committing mass murders. Taking only their house keys with them, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians left for Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and other countries in the region, and embarked on a difficult life at refugee camps that would last for decades. The situation of those who remained behind was even worse than those who left.”   

Pointing that the policies of occupation and genocide continued as a state policy with the establishment of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948, President Erdoğan said: “Declaring May 15, the day after the establishment of the state of Israel, as NAKBA, or the GREAT CATASTROPHE, the Palestinians renew their hope of regaining their homes and independence every year on May 15. I send my heartfelt greetings to all our Palestinian brothers and sisters on this NAKBA day. We feel the pain of NAKBA in our hearts just as deeply as they do. On the anniversary of NAKBA, we preserve our hope just as strongly as they do. Sooner or later, the Palestinians will return to their homes. Sooner or later, Palestinians will use the keys they are preserving under their pillows and passing down from generation to generation, and they will be reunited with their homes.”

“THEY WILL DEFINITELY BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR EVERY DROP OF BLOOD THEY SHED”

Underscoring that Hitler was not alone when he was committing the Jewish genocide, President Erdoğan said: “Many countries in Europe were supporting Hitler. Hitler felt himself very powerful and invincible when he mercilessly carried out massacres and genocide. What happened ultimately? He shot himself in the head, with his charred body found in his bunker ruined like Germany.”

Further stressing that Bosnian Serb leaders such as Mladic and Karadzic were also not alone while carrying out massacres, President Erdoğan stated: “Similarly in Bosnia, leaders of the Bosnian Serbs, Mladic, Karadzic... While they were carrying out massacres, many states in Europe stood behind them. While they were committing genocide in Srebrenica, which was supposedly under the protection of the United Nations, powerful states of the world stood behind them. They martyrized our 8,372 Bosniak brothers and sisters before the eyes of the world. They never imagined they would be defeated. They never assumed they would be held to account one day. What happened ultimately? They were captured, put on trial, and those once mighty politicians, those genocidal generals were held accountable, now awaiting death in prison.”   

President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows: “Sooner or later, a similar end awaits Netanyahu, the Butcher of Gaza, and those complicit in the genocide in Gaza. You will see that they will definitely be held accountable for every drop of blood they shed. The cries of the 35 thousand Palestinians they brutally massacred as well as over 80 thousand Gazans who have been wounded or maimed will never stop haunting them.”

“NO ONE SHOULD EXPECT US TO REMAIN SILENT OR SOFTEN OUR WORDS”

Pointing out that Türkiye will be chasing the perpetrators of the genocide to make sure they are brought to justice, President Erdoğan stated: “All should accept that the world cannot find peace, nor can it remain clean, without holding perpetrators of the Gaza genocide accountable. No one should expect us to remain silent or soften our words. They are as arrogant as they are ruthless, as spoiled as they are barbaric. They have killed people with bombs and bullets, with the deadliest weapons and snipers, through starvation and thirst. They have hit hospitals and ambulances. They have evicted people from their homes and directed them to supposedly safe zones, subsequently massacring civilians in safe zones. They have killed people running for aid, for a piece of bread. They have made mothers gather the pieces of their kids. This has no example in history. Even Hitler was not as blatant and as audacious while carrying out the inhuman Holocaust, which went down in history as a dark stain.”

President Erdoğan went onto say: “They are so unashamed that they have murdered journalists in front of cameras in live broadcast, civilians, babies in cradles; they have bombed mosques, schools and churches. They shall not get away with these. Before being held accountable on the judgement day, they will inshallah be held to account in this world and pay the price for what they do. Look, they are now trying to put pressure on the international court. They are supposedly challenging the world by shredding the United Nations Charter at the podium of the United Nations.”

“HUMANITY WILL NOT LET GO OF THESE MURDERERS”

Drawing attention to the threats and restrictions targeting professors and students standing in solidarity with Palestine, President Erdoğan said: “They overtly threaten the professors and students supporting Palestine. They attempt to silence everyone by using the enormous media and lobbying power at their disposal. They think people will be intimidated and back down when they are labelled as anti-Semitic. No matter what they do... Humanity will not let go of these murderers. Even if humanity were to let go, we will not stop chasing these murderers, these perpetrators of genocide, this bloodthirsty network of killers. They are criticizing us both at home and abroad just because we are defending Hamas. Don’t you have any conscience? Don’t you have any mercy? Have you really lost your soul, your identity, your personality so much as to defend those who cannot tolerate even the trucks carrying aid to innocent starved kids in Gaza, so much as to defend this terrorism, this terror state?”

Underpinning that Israel will not stop in Gaza and that Ramallah will not be safe, President Erdoğan stated: “This raging state, this terror state will eventually cast its eyes on Anatolia with the delusions of ‘promised lands’ unless it is stopped. Israel is not attacking the Palestinians in Gaza, it is attacking us... Hamas is putting up the front-line defense of Anatolia in Gaza. Are you so blind as not to see this? Are you so unperceptive as not to comprehend this?”

Stressing that the Turkish nation has always stood with the oppressed, the innocents and the downtrodden, President Erdoğan added: “Our nation has always stood in solidarity particularly with those fighting to protect their independence, freedom and homeland. We will continue to stand with Hamas, which has been fighting both for the liberation of its own lands and has been defending Anatolia. We will give no credence to those who rent out their soul, mind and conscience to Zionist killers.”