Under the auspices of the AK Party Chairmanship for Human Rights, a delegation of 30 members, including MPs and representatives from the People’s Alliance (AK Party, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and the Great Unity Party (BBP)), held a press conference at the Rafah Border Gate in Egypt to draw attention to the genocide and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Hasan Basri Yalçın, the AK Party Deputy Chairman for Human Rights, said in his statement that Israel is blatantly committing genocide in Gaza and starving innocent people by keeping Gaza under blockade. Yalçın added that this is not a fight against terrorism but a massacre of civilians, committing the crime of ethnic cleansing to depopulate Gaza.
According to Deputy Chairman Yalçın, Israeli attacks have killed 62,000 civilians, including at least 20,000 children, and left 10,000 civilians missing or trapped under rubble.
“These people can never be reduced to mere numbers. Every life lost was a person with a whole life ahead of them. Each one of them has a grieving mother and a father bearing unspeakable grief. Each one of them left behind an orphaned child, a widowed wife, and a bereaved sibling. They all had dreams and hopes. They had a home, a neighbourhood, and neighbours. All of this to say that they had a life. Israel took these away one by one. Israel displaced 90% of the people of Gaza and forced them to emigrate. It demolished 80% of the buildings. It attacked hospitals, schools, and mosques. Israel destroyed everything, living or non-living,” said Yalçın.
Highlighting that Israel is attempting to conceal this atrocity with the power it derives from the platforms within Western institutions, where it has clustered and concealed, Yalçın continued:
“This genocide has reached a point where it cannot be concealed. No counter-terrorism operation has ever killed 70,000 civilians, nor ever will. This fact alone demonstrates that Israel is not engaged in combating terrorism, but rather in committing genocide. October 7, 2023, is neither a start nor a cause. Israel blatantly uses October 7 as an excuse for genocide and to mislead the international community. Regrettably, the international community fails or is unable to meet its obligations. This is the case in most Western capitals. Many governments, beholden to the Israeli lobby, tend to overlook even this heinous genocide. However, we see that an international public with good intentions and conscience, which defends the righteous and fights injustice in universities and on the streets, is awakening and becoming visible. It is hoped that these voices of common sense will echo louder and free their own politicians from Israeli oppression, urging them to stand on the side of humanity, right, and truth.”
According to Yalçın, Türkiye has supported the oppressed Palestinians from the beginning and severed all commercial, political, and economic relations with Israel.
Yalçın underscored their ongoing efforts to provide all forms of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, stating, “From the outset, we have advocated for an immediate ceasefire and a two-state resolution to the conflict based on the 1967 borders, and we have offered all necessary commitments and assurances for this purpose. Our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been striving to establish a front for a solution on all international grounds since the very beginning. On this occasion, he has engaged in numerous diplomatic meetings. He strives to position Gaza as the central focus of world politics across all platforms and contexts.”
“The people of Gaza are not alone, and they are not forgotten”
Yalçın said that Palestine, specifically Al-Quds, was the first qibla for Muslims and the holy site where the Prophet ascended to Miraj, and added:
“It is inconceivable for Türkiye to remain passive and indifferent to this persecution, this genocide, even if all others remain silent and avert their gaze. In fact, all political parties in Türkiye, the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, our government, our President, and our esteemed nation are engaged in a determined struggle, by every possible means and method, to stop this merciless genocide. Today’s visit to the Rafah Border Crossing is, in this context, an effort to draw the attention of the world and the Muslim community to Gaza. The people of Gaza are not alone; the people of Gaza have not been forgotten. We stand ever vigilant to break this siege, to extend a hand to the people of Gaza, to heal the wounds, and to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable. Our presence here today is a demonstration of this determination.”
“Today, Israel is a problem for all humanity”
Emphasising that Türkiye will continue to take every possible step for Gaza and a free Palestine in the coming period and will participate in every international effort, Yalçın stated:
“Under the leadership of our President, Türkiye has had a direct and concrete impact on many international issues, and it will do the same in this matter. We all know that this is not an issue of just a few days, nor one that can be resolved through the efforts of just a few states. Rather, it is an issue that has persisted in full view of the world for 77 years. Its resolution is only possible through international cooperation and sustained efforts.
Today, the problem of the Zionist, genocidal Israel is not merely the problem of the people of Gaza or the Palestinians. It is not solely the problem of Arabs or only of Muslims. Today, Israel is a problem for all humanity. The entire international community is aware that Israel will not hesitate to undermine global stability, just as it arrogantly and insolently threatens regional stability. Yet, they either fail to raise their voices or choose to become complicit. However, without a collective struggle against this aggression—which is clearly a global issue—this common problem of humanity cannot be resolved.”
Stating that they were extending an open invitation to the international community, Yalçın said:
“Is it not high time to say, ‘One minute,’ to Israel? Is it not high time to end this genocide? Is it not high time to take action for humanity? The great powers in the international system must stop providing Israel with covert and overt support. We welcome the decisions by some states to recognise the State of Palestine and believe more must follow. Many states should break free from the yoke of Zionist Israeli lobbies, strive for global and regional stability, and stand on the right side of history. At the very least, they could consider activating international institutions, or they could attempt to demonstrate political leadership by drawing lessons from their publics’ stance in support of Gaza.”
“Humanitarian aid must immediately be allowed into Gaza; all blockades must be fully lifted”
AK Party Deputy Chairman of Human Rights, Yalçın, expressed their expectations as follows:
“Immediate entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza must be allowed, and all blockades must be lifted in their entirety. A ceasefire must urgently be implemented, and Israel’s declared plans to occupy Gaza and expel its people must be prevented. A fair and inclusive peace table must be established, and a two-state solution within the 1967 borders must be implemented. For an integrated, governable, sovereign, and free State of Palestine, guarantees must be provided through international agreements against Israeli aggression. Israeli war criminals must be tried before international courts. Israel must be obliged to pay war reparations for the reconstruction and development of Gaza and all of Palestine. Palestine’s development must be supported with international funds. If a lasting and fair peace is desired in the Middle East, these steps are essential. Otherwise, neither this region nor the world will find peace or calm. From Rafah Border Crossing, the closest point to Gaza, this is hereby declared to the international community on behalf of all participants.”
The visit, held under the instructions of President Erdoğan, was attended by AK Party Deputy Chairman and Chairman of Human Rights Prof. Hasan Basri Yalçın; Deputy Chairs of Human Rights, Ankara MP Zeynep Yıldız and Bayburt MP Orhan Ateş; AK Party Deputy Chair Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya and Ankara MP Ömer İleri; Chair of the Türkiye–Palestine Interparliamentary Friendship Group Hasan Turan; MPs Derya Yanık, Nazım Elmas, Tuba Köksal, Nurettin Alan, Müşerref Pervin Tuba Durgut, Bülent Tüfenkci, Mustafa Köse, Mustafa Arslan, Ayşe Keşir, Orhan Yegin, Ahmet Fethan Baykoç, Mehmet Akif Yılmaz, Nazım Maviş, Ümmügülşen Öztürk, Halis Dalkılıç, Seda Gören Bölük, and Mervan Gül.
MHP Kütahya MP Ahmet Erbaş, Hatay MP Lütfi Kaşıkçı, and BBP Deputy Chairman Ahmet Emin Serin also attended the visit.
Source: Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Sofia