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"Gaza belongs to the Palestinians and will remain so forever"

Presidency Of The Republic Of Turkey

04.12.2023

Addressing the opening event of the 39th Ministerial Session of the COMCEC in Istanbul, President Erdoğan said: "We must display a very clear stance against Israel's policies of depopulating Gaza. I would like to once again remind the Israeli administrators, who pursue different ambitions, of the fact that Gaza is a Palestinian land. Gaza belongs to the Palestinians and will remain so forever."

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech at the opening event of the 39th Ministerial Session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) in Istanbul.

"OVER 16 THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MARTYRED IN ISRAELI ATTACKS"

Noting that this year marks the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye, President Erdoğan said: "The Republic of Türkiye, the last ring of the chain of states we established in our geography, has left behind a century full of glory and successes. We will not stop until we crown this blessed march of ours extending from past to future with the Century of Türkiye. We will achieve this in solidarity with you, our brothers."

President Erdoğan stated: "The cooperation we will display gets increasingly more important during these days when a grave atrocity is underway in Palestinian lands, particularly in Gaza. Israel's massacres, which had started on October 7, have accelerated again as of December 1 following a 6-day pause due to the exchange of prisoners. Over 16 thousand people have been martyred and more than 36 thousand others wounded in Israeli attacks targeting civilians and civilian residential areas."

"TWO OUT OF EVERY THREE PERSONS MARTYRED IN GAZA ARE CHILDREN, BABIES AND WOMEN"

Pointing out that two out of every three persons martyred in Gaza are children, babies and women, President Erdoğan noted that the number of missing Gazans has exceeded 6,500.

Highlighting that among the victims of the Israeli oppression are 73 journalists and over 100 United Nations personnel, President Erdoğan stated: "The situation is such that the United Nations, established to protect global security and peace in the first place, cannot protect even its own workers from Israel's barbarity. What is even grimmer is the incompetence of the powers from Europe to America that claim to be an advocate of human rights and freedoms. These countries lend unconditional support to Israel in order for it to kill more children, to bombard more hospitals, schools and homes, and to shed more blood of innocent people."

Drawing attention to the international media's silence in the face of Israel's atrocities in Gaza, President Erdoğan said: "International media outlets do not utter one single sentence for their killed colleagues or voice one single criticism of Israel. They, however, lectured all of us on the law and democracy for years. Were they not the ones who always started their remarks by mentioning the freedom of press? Those who caused a stir when the perpetrator was a Muslim are now blind and deaf to the massacres Israel is carrying out brutally. Those dying in Israel's attacks may be Palestinians in terms of physical identities. However; those ostentatious ideologies, conventions, declarations and principles, proudly laid out by persons, institutions or countries who side with Israel by lending support or remaining silent to this oppression, have now totally collapsed."

Stressing that those who try to quiescently brush over the deaths of so many innocents and even justify them with the excuse of Hamas no longer have a single word to say to humanity, President Erdoğan noted: "We are watching before our eyes the collapse of the entire 20th century design, which we looked at with good intentions with the hope that it could serve the humanity's common interests even though we knew the hypocrisy behind it. Still, we cannot help saying 'what a pity' notwithstanding all our objections. That is so because just like the closure of every period and the construction process of a new one, the years ahead will also be very turbulent, tough and bloody and will be full of risks. It is in our hands to convert this process into great gains for ourselves as well as for our friends and brothers. We are determined to work harder and to increase our efforts in this direction."

Underscoring that Gaza serves as a litmus test for the global system, President Erdoğan stated: "What we have been witnessing since the start of the war on October 7 has unveiled the true face of many entities including international organizations, human rights organizations, western democracies and global companies."

"THE UNITED NATIONS HAS FAILED THE TEST OF GAZA INSTITUTIONALLY"

"The United Nations has failed the test of Gaza institutionally. UN Secretary-General António Guterres' sincere efforts have unfortunately been undermined by the members of the Security Council. The decision adopted with 121 votes in favor at the United Nations General Assembly was a valuable step in that it reflected the conscience of the humanity. However, it remained incomplete because of the current structure of the United Nations and fell short of stopping the bloodshed. Unfortunately, the will of 161 countries, 40 absentees included, was disregarded. Even this picture alone suffices to show the impasse we as the 2 billion-strong Islamic world have been pushed to," said the President.

President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows: "On one side, there are 121 countries that say, 'Stop the war, no more bloodshed.' On the other hand, there are 3 or 5 countries that give Israel carte blanche to attack. And, there is a global mechanism which takes action only when these 3 or 5 countries give the go-ahead. It is not possible for such a structure to bring peace, stop the conflicts, or serve as a source of hope for humanity."

President Erdoğan added: "This crooked structure of the United Nations Security Council, which is unfair and incapable of solving crises as we have been highlighting for years by saying that 'the World is bigger than 5,' must change as soon as possible. None of us is obliged to accept this system. None of us can accept the things as they are. From now on, we must be more vocal in raising our objections."

President Erdoğan further stressed: "As Muslims, we say 'A fairer world is possible.' Working in this direction is our responsibility not only towards our own citizens but also towards future generations. Of course, we will not stand idly by while doing this but will make full use of all the means and capabilities at our disposal. The Organization of Islamic Conference, whose raison d'être is to promote the Palestinian cause, offers an important platform for us to wage this struggle as one body and one voice."

"ISRAEL IS INCREASINGLY BEING RECOGNIZED NOT ONLY AS A THIEF BUT ALSO AS A MURDERER IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA"

Drawing attention to the decisions of the Extraordinary Joint Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League held in Riyadh on November 11, 2023, President Erdoğan said: "As the Islamic world, we showed our stance on the Palestine issue during the extraordinary Riyadh summit held jointly with the Arab League. During the summit, we took decisions of a truly milestone nature, particularly the designation of occupier settlers as a terrorist for the first time."

President Erdoğan went onto say: "Israel is increasingly being recognized not only as a thief but also as a murderer in the international arena. The Foreign Ministers Contact Group, formed during the summit, held talks in various countries. These talks will continue until the bloodshed in Gaza stops. We need to take other steps as well. One such step is to hold Israeli administrators to account for the war crimes they commit."

"WE MUST START THE PREPARATIONS FOR GAZA'S RECONSTRUCTION IMMEDIATELY"

Underscoring the importance of resorting to the United Nations Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court regarding the war crimes committed by Israel, President Erdoğan stated: "Likewise, we will not allow the issue of the nuclear weapons, whose existence Israel has already admitted, to be forgotten. Does Israel have atomic bombs? Yes, it does, but if you ask them they tell the otherwise. We know very well what this means. Netanyahu, the Butcher of Gaza, will definitely stand trial not only as a war criminal but also as the Butcher of Gaza, just like Milošević was tried."

Stressing the urgent need to initiate the preparations for Gaza's reconstruction without delay, President Erdoğan said: "We must display a very clear stance against Israel's policies of depopulating Gaza. I would like to once again remind the Israeli administrators, who pursue different ambitions, of the fact that Gaza is a Palestinian land. Gaza belongs to the Palestinians and will remain so forever. It is incumbent on all of us as the Islamic world not to yield even one inch of the Gazan territory to the occupier Israel. We must do this not only for our Gazan and Palestinian brothers and sisters, but also for our own security, for our own territorial integrity. We know it very well that those who occupy Gaza today will set their sights on other places tomorrow with the delusions of promised lands. So much so that they do not even find it necessary to conceal this intention of theirs any more. Netanyahu, the Butcher of Gaza, has personally revealed before cameras that the issue is not Gaza or Ramallah but that he pursues expansionist goals. Therefore, defending Gaza and Palestine today means defending Al Quds, Macca, Medina, Istanbul, Damascus, Beirut, Baghdad and other Islamic cities."

"THE WAY TO PEACE IN OUR REGION IS THROUGH THE FOUNDATION OF A PALESTINIAN STATE"

President Erdoğan further stressed: "If we act with the sensitivity and knowledge that we are a big family of two billion individuals extending from Asia to Africa, America to Europe, no one can threaten or shake finger at us."

President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows: "It has become all the more critical for us to boost our solidarity with the Palestinian people particularly during these trying times for them. As Türkiye, we, alongside our efforts in the international arena, also work to deliver humanitarian aid to the region. We have sent 12 planeloads of supplies and two civilian aid ships to Al Arish thus far in cooperation with our Egyptian brothers and sisters. We have transferred to Türkiye the wounded as well as cancer patients and children. I have personally visited these patients and shared their pain on behalf of our country and nation."

Pointing out that the 'United for Peace in Palestine' summit, held in Istanbul under the auspices of First Lady Emine Erdoğan with the participation of first ladies and special representatives from numerous countries, was an important event in that it showed Türkiye's stance, President Erdoğan said Türkiye will maintain its multipronged endeavors in the future as well.

President Erdoğan said: "The recent incidents have once again shown the importance of the formation of an independent, sovereign and geographically-integrated Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with Al Quds as its capital. The way to peace in our region is through the foundation of a Palestinian state. Within this framework, we, together with other countries, stand ready to assume every sort of responsibility, including acting as a guarantor, for the establishment of peace."

"WHILE ISLAMOPHOBIA SPREADS LIKE A PLAGUE AMONG WESTERN SOCIETIES, GOVERNMENTS UNFORTUNATELY TAKE NO PRECAUTIONS"

Also drawing attention to the increasingly growing treat of Islamophobia, President Erdoğan stated: "Muslims, who make up the majority of the immigrant population in many European countries, endure xenophobic, racist, discriminatory and Islamophobic treatment on a daily basis. The attacks on our citizens as well as on their properties and the mosques, particularly in Western European countries, are on the rise in recent years. Since January 2023, nearly 500 anti-Islam attacks in the form of burning the Holy Quran has taken place, particularly in front of the OIC countries' embassies in Europe. Last week, three young men wearing Palestinian keffiyehs came under armed attack in broad daylight in the U.S. We can cite many more examples..."

Underlining that governments unfortunately take no precautions while Islamophobia spreads like a plague among western societies, President Erdoğan said: "Despicable attacks against the Holy Quran are unfortunately justified and legitimized under the excuse of the freedom of expression. We have all seen and continue to see how those who turn a blind eye to these attacks start to act prohibitively all of a sudden when it comes to defending the rights of the innocents in Palestine and Gaza."

"THE CENTER OF GRAVITY IS SHIFTING FROM WEST TO EAST IN GLOBAL FINANCE"

President Erdoğan stated that COMCEC members' support is very valuable in order for the OIC Arbitration Center, based in Istanbul, to be an important platform in the settlement of investment and commercial disagreements.

Expressing his belief that the COMCEC SME programme will contribute to the strengthening of the SMEs operating in OIC countries, President Erdoğan added: "It is evident that electronic trade and digital transformation incentivize innovation and offers new opportunities in economic growth. Halal food is an area on which we need to increase our cooperation. Thank Allah, the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries has covered significant distance in the works carried out regarding this issue."

Pointing out that the desired level in finance has yet to be reached even though the center of gravity is shifting from west to east in global finance, President Erdoğan said: "We inaugurated in April the Istanbul Financial Center to fulfill our country's and our region's potential. With an area covering nearly 1.4 million square meters, the Istanbul Financial Center is a project that intends to be the heart of the sector in Fintech and Participation Finance. We desire the OIC and you, our friends, to benefit from this center of high strategic importance."