Those shedding crocodile tears for civilians killed in Ukraine-Russia war silently watching killing of children in Gaza, says Turkish president
By Muhammed Enes Calli, Anadolu Agency,
Türkiye will introduce Israel to the world as a war criminal, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.
Speaking at “Great Palestine Meeting,” a pro-Palestine rally in Istanbul, Erdogan said: “Israel, we will also declare you as a war criminal to the world, we are preparing for it, and we will introduce Israel to the world as a war criminal.”
Erdogan stressed that the Western world mobilized its politicians, and media to legitimize the massacre of the innocent people in Gaza, adding: “Israel is committing war crimes.”
He said Israel is an “occupier,” adding: “West owes you, but Türkiye does not owe you.”
Those shedding crocodile tears for civilians killed in the Ukraine-Russia war are silently watching the deaths of thousands of innocent children in Gaza, said the Turkish president.
“I am asking West, do you want to create another Crusader War atmosphere?” he asked, adding: “The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West.”
“Of course, every country has the right to defend itself, but where is justice? There is no defense but an open, and vicious massacre going on in Gaza.”
Everyone knows that Israel is a pawn in the region that will be sacrificed when the time comes, he added.
“I said in Davos, you know how to kill. They know well how to kill.”
Erdogan said he saluted “the determination of the people of Gaza” to not abandon their homes, and city in the face of oppressor’s bombardments.
Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza since Oct. 7 when the Palestinian group Hamas carried out a cross-border attack, killing 1,400 people, and taking many hostages.
The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said the Israeli strikes had now killed at least 7,703 people, mainly civilians and many of them children.
Recalling the UN General Assembly votes in favor of a resolution calling for a ‘humanitarian truce’ in Gaza, Erdogan said: “Israel, you are doomed to be left alone.”
The UN General Assembly approved a resolution Friday that called for an immediate “durable and sustained humanitarian truce” in Gaza.
The resolution, which was presented by nearly 50 countries, including Türkiye, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was approved in a 120-14 vote with 45 nations abstaining.
Adopted at the 10th Emergency Special Session meeting on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the draft resolution expresses “grave concern” about the “latest escalation of violence.”
Türkiye does not condone attacks targeting civilians in Israel, said Erdogan, adding: “We are saddened for every civilian in any way, but Israel does not care.”
Just as Türkiye stood by the oppressed during difficult times, as it did during the Second World War and 500 years ago, it will also be the hope for these people, he added.
“I reiterate the call I made to the Israeli government in recent days. Heed our call to deliver aid to the oppressed and to open the doors of dialogue to establish peace. Come today and take a positive step, perhaps for the first time in your life, for your own and your children’s future.”
There are Palestinians who have been gradually displaced from their homes, and homelands, and their lives have been affected due to the attacks carried out by Israel since its establishment, he said.
“Certainly, in such a climate of fire and blood, there have been regrettable events. However, none of these can serve as an excuse for campaigns aimed at discrediting the resistance carried out by the Palestinian people under various names.”
“I said that Hamas is not a terrorist organization, and Israel was very disturbed by this. Well, we weren’t expecting anything else anyway,” the president said.
“The unlimited cruelty displayed today by those who have alarmed the world on account of the injustices they suffered until yesterday cannot be explained in any other way.”
“The real owners of the game being played in the region are those who support the Israeli government’s whims. Because Israel cannot take a step without them,” he said.
Israel is also behind the PKK, YPG terror groups, and FETO terror group, said Erdogan, adding: “They provide them with money and weapons.”
Due to restrictions on aid to Gaza, all humanitarian needs, including electricity, food, health, and hygiene supplies, cannot be met, Erdogan said.
“What has been happening since last night (Friday) is nothing short of a state of madness. Despite this grim situation, the dignified, determined, and faithful stance of the people of Gaza will be recorded in history as a glorious epic of resistance.”
READ some points of president Erdogan’s speech:
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the Grand Palestine Rally held by Justice and Development (AK) Party’s Istanbul branch at Atatürk Airport.
Speaking at the rally, President Erdoğan said: “I thank each and every single one of you for standing up for the Palestinian cause, for giving hope to the oppressed people of Gaza. I remember with grace all the martyrs, veterans and heroes of our ancestors who left this land to us as a homeland. I would like to commemorate with gratitude those who contributed to the establishment and continuance of our states, from the Anatolian Seljuks to the Ottomans and the Republic, through which we left our sovereign mark on the lands of our homeland.
“WE ARE STANDING UP FOR GAZA”
“I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has toiled and sweated so that our flag will forever fly in the skies of our geography and our adhans will be heard until the end of time. We are such a great nation and state that neither our power, nor our problems, nor our struggle is limited to our own borders. Tomorrow we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of our Republic, and today we will cry out the fire in our hearts for Gaza. We are standing up for Gaza, just as we did in the past in Thrace, in the Balkans, in the Caucasus, in every inch of the Eastern Mediterranean coast, in Central Asia, South Asia, all over Africa. In short, wherever our horizons reached.
“Our youth and the youth of the generation before us passed while following, telling about and condemning the suffering of our brothers and sisters around the world. We shed tears for numerous regions from Crimea to Karabakh, Bosnia to Kirkuk, Palestine to Turkistan, Afghanistan to Chechnya. We have not wasted our lives. Today, some people see Gaza as a place far, far away, a place that has nothing to do with us, and even say this openly. However, a century ago, for this nation, for this country, Gaza was no different than Adana. Just as Edirne was no different than Skopje, Kırklareli was no different than Thessaloniki, Mardin was no different than Mosul, Gaziantep was no different than Aleppo, Gaza was an inseparable part of our homeland. When you visit Çanakkale Martyrs’ Cemetery, take a good look at the names and cities on the tombstones… There, you will see sons of Gaza and Skopje lying side by side, just as you will see sons of Balıkesir and Şanlıurfa lying side by side. So much so that in the list of Çanakkale Martyrs, Gaza, with its 53 fallen sons, ranks above most of the cities within our borders today.
“TÜRKİYE IS A GREAT STATE WITH ITS HISTORY, CULTURE, GEOGRAPHY AND CIVILIZATION”
“But they unfortunately separated the Turkish nation from all these lands that are as much our own as our blood, our lives and our love. Not only did they physically separate us, but they have also turned every trick in the book to uproot them from our minds and hearts. We must never forget the lessons we learned from the dark days when millions of our people lost their lives and millions had to leave their homes and seek refuge in Anatolia. From this arena where we have come together to support our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza, we must also leave with the determination to never allow new Gazas to arise.
“There is no doubt that Türkiye is a great state with its history, culture, geography and civilization. At the same time, Türkiye is a country targeted by never-ending threats and big projects due to all these qualities it possesses. Know that no incident, no crisis, no alliance formed in the south, north, east and west of our country, and even beyond them, is independent of the plots against Türkiye. That I said Hamas is not a terrorist organization has annoyed Israel. We do not expect much more than that.
“Therefore, we are not only condemning the massacre in Gaza. We are also defending our own independence and future. Sultan Abdulhamid was not engaged in there in vain. If you scratch the concepts expressed by Israeli leaders at the highest level, you will find a treacherous map that includes the territories of our country. What was Gaza and Palestine like in 1947? What are they like now? How did you come here Israel? How did you enter? You are an occupier, you are an organization. So, the Turkish nation knows this. The West owes to you, but Türkiye does not. Therefore we speak in such a free manner. Since Türkiye does not owe you, Erdoğan speaks like this.”
President Erdoğan said: “Israel has been openly committing war crime for 22 days. We will announce Israel to the world as a war criminal. We are working on that and we will introduce Israel to the world as a war criminal, but Western leaders cannot even call on Israel for a ceasefire, let alone react to it. With this latest attitude, the West’s record of sins has once again overstepped its bounds.”
“Gaza is not only an issue for those struggling to survive there, but for all of us,” President Erdoğan stated, and added: “Surely, every country has the right to defend itself. However, in Gaza, there is no defense, but an obvious and despicable massacre. They seek the mass destruction of the people of Gaza through starvation, thirst, lack of fuel, collapse of health services, which they use as a weapon.”
