The international community must raise their voice in the face of the genocide Israel carries out in Gaza, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday, describing Tel Aviv’s actions as “state terrorism.”
“Staying silent to Israel’s massacres means being part of this crime. For one and a half years, Israel is implementing an open genocide against the Palestinian people through trampling on international law and ignoring the most basic human rights,” he said during the opening speech of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
“If this is not barbarism, what is it?” Erdoğan asked, mentioning the number of civilians and journalists Israel has killed, which is over 50,800 people and includes mostly women and children. “Would a country act like that even if it is in war? Therefore, Israel is a terrorist state.”
“I call on all members of the international community, especially the U.N. Security Council, to stop the bloodshed and stand with the Palestinian people,” the president added.
Erdoğan continued to say that as long as “Israel’s state terror in Gaza continues, cease-fire efforts are sabotaged, and bombs are rained down on innocents, it is very difficult to achieve lasting peace.”
Türkiye has been a fervent critic of Israel, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler, accusing Tel Aviv of committing genocide and criticizing Western nations for backing Israel.
In May, Türkiye suspended trade with Israel, citing its assault on Gaza, and in August, formally applied to join South Africa’s initiative to have Israel tried for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Ankara is a firm supporter of the two-state solution with the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as an independent Palestine’s capital.
Highlighting diplomacy
“We declare once again that we prefer dialogue over conflicts, and common sense and global conscience over polarization,” Erdoğan said.
“As humanity engages in new technological moves one after the other, the international system has failed to display the same success in keeping up. Terrorism, racism, Islamophobia, anti-refugee sentiment is increasing. We witness that the international community is falling short of answering these challenges.
“We must highlight diplomacy further in this atmosphere, the president said. “The world is bigger than five, because humanity is bigger than five. Türkiye with its experience, cultural and historical richness, is one of the country’s that can give this message to the world most suitably.”
Indicating that Türkiye is situated in a difficult geography, Erdoğan said: “We are not only residents of this geography but its owners.”
“The Antalya Diplomacy Forum brings together north and south, east and west, diplomats and academicians. Based on values such as polyphony and inclusivity, the forum has become an internationally respected platform and is filling an important gap globally,” Fidan said during his speech.
“With geopolitical and ideological divisions, the tendency of forming blocs is increasing, unfortunately, the arms race has started again. In this environment, the weakening of multilateral organizations, and the difficulty of coordination on global issues are the most important tests.”
Underlining Türkiye’s role in ensuring stability in the region, Fidan highlighted that solutions to the problems of the region must come through cooperation of the region’s countries instead of from outside.
Our region must be a geography of mutual assistance instead of rivalry, he added.
“Türkiye is in the heart of crises but in the center of solutions,” the top diplomat said further.
The ADF, held under the theme Reclaiming Diplomacy in a Fragmented World, brings together leaders, diplomats and policymakers from across the globe, and will continue till Sunday.
Erdoğan met on the same day with the leaders of Azerbaijan, Montenegro, Kosovo and Libya on the sidelines of the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
Erdoğan held talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic, Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu and Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh during the annual event.
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