During a conversation with journalists on his return flight from
Athens, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized the importance of imposing a strong punishment on Israeli Premier
Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates as a deterrent for those who commit genocide.
'
Israel is carrying out state terrorism. Where is the
West,
US? The reality is clear, more than 17,000 killed, how can we condone this?' Erdoğan pointed out while referring to Israel's
genocide-level crimes in the conflict-hit Gaza.
Turkish leader
Erdoğan laid out the following statements in his remarks:
"I don't care about what the
international community will say. I'm looking at what duty falls upon us as individuals. As the poet says, I cry, I can't make others cry, I feel, I can't express, the language is absent, how strange I am from that. They label
Hamas as a 'terrorist organization.' Hamas is a reality for Palestine; it is not a terrorist organization.
Hamas is a political movement and a movement that has won in the elections it participated in as a political party. But they force us to say 'terrorist organization.' No, we won't call Hamas a '
terrorist organization' just because you say so. We have a political movement that won the elections in front of us.
You are trying to discipline
Gaza with hunger. You want to completely destroy
Gaza and discipline it in this way. You don't provide medicine, you leave them thirsty, you don't give electricity, and you want to condemn Hamas to oblivion in this way. We cannot agree with this. Currently, Israel is unleashing state terrorism. Where is the
West, where is
America? While all these realities are present, with nearly 17,000 people, children, women, and the elderly killed, how can we approve of these actions?
Our Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Hakan Fidan, discussed these issues with the United States Secretary of State
Antony Blinken. He talked, but the West is still silent. These are the things that hurt us deeply. We say, 'Give us the wounded, the children; there are cancer patients, give them to us.' So far, we have been able to take in a total of 200 people, including 114 patients and 86 escorts. Let's at least provide them with medical treatments; let's take this step. Unfortunately, there is no humanity left.
They say field hospitals will be established. Whether they are established or not, it doesn't matter. But here, with a sense of humanity and conscience, we quickly sent field hospitals. It wouldn't take much time for cancer patients or those who need surgical interventions to come from the
Rafah Border Crossing in Egypt to Ankara or Istanbul. We could take them from
El Arish Airport in Egypt, put them on a plane immediately, and bring them in one or one and a half hours. After that, we would provide their treatments. We have taken and continue to take every possible step regarding the treatment of patients and the wounded in our country.
The emphasis on the idea that peace will prevail if Netanyahu leaves is important. However, as of now, there is a reality that Netanyahu is carrying out this
genocide to prolong his political life, to escape from being prosecuted. As you know, Netanyahu was in a legal process, and there were talks of convictions against him. In such a process,
Israel's attack on
Gaza erupted. Now, he is prolonging this process with the thought that 'the more I extend these attacks, the more I can save myself from prosecution.' Netanyahu is indeed a
Gaza killer, a butcher, call him whatever you want. All these titles suit him.
Just as Milosevic was tried at the
International Criminal Court, the
Gaza Butcher Netanyahu, along with Israeli and non-Israeli politicians acting in concert with him, should be prosecuted in the same way. We are closely monitoring this with around 3,000 lawyers. There are lawyers and even prosecutors from many countries outside of Türkiye following this issue. We will continue to pursue this. Our concern is to put an end to this
genocide as soon as possible and to punish the perpetrators. Netanyahu and his accomplices must receive a punishment that serves as a lesson to all perpetrators of genocide. This trial is crucial to prevent massacres and genocides from recurring because when such crimes go unpunished, they tend to happen again.
I believe that many countries will continue to take a stance against the
crimes against humanity in Gaza. We see that voices are rising in some countries, even in public squares. Some countries will eventually have to stand on the right side of history, albeit belatedly, due to their beliefs in the protection of international law, sensitivity to human rights, and thoughts on reducing nuclear threats. Therefore, each time, our belief is firm that
Palestine will prevail. The victory of Palestine means the victory of world peace and the restoration of commitment to human rights. If we do not want a dysfunctional global system or a perforated international law, we must support
Palestine's victory. Otherwise, the law of the powerful and the oppressor will prevail, which would be a disaster for the entire world.
United Nations Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres acknowledges that, as a secretary-general, he has not been useful so far. He mentions that he has only recently been able to invoke Article 99. Let's see if he can achieve results. Guterres has pressed the alarm button of the global system. He is telling the elements that make up the structure established to protect world peace, 'do not forget your duty.' I hope the
UN Security Council heeds this call. It is time to set aside petty interests, the mentality of 'let the snake that doesn't bite me live a thousand years,' and take steps to preserve peace on our planet.
Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez has truly shown courage among
Western countries. Despite all the negatives, Sanchez has taken a bold step by expressing his determination for the recognition of Palestine by
European Union countries. Spain, with Sanchez saying, 'I will make my offer for the recognition of Palestine by the European Union,' has shown great courage. For this reason, I applaud him."
