Policy of erasing Palestinian identity from Gaza unacceptable: Turkish parliament speaker

Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus said Friday that the Gaza Strip and Palestine lands belong to Palestinians, and the policy of erasing Palestinian identity from Gaza is unacceptable.

“Wishes and dreams of seizing Palestinian lands and turning them into holiday resorts -- completely stripped of any sense of morality, international law, compassion, or conscience -- are nothing but delusions that will be rejected by the conscience of humanity,” Kurtulmus told a meeting of the Group of Parliaments in Supporting Palestine, that was held in Istanbul.

“They will never come true. Gaza, the West Bank, and all of the Palestinian territories belong to Palestine. They are the homeland of the Palestinian people. They are the ancestral lands of the Palestinians,” he said.

Stating that for nearly a year and a half, the world has witnessed an open massacre aimed at wiping out an entire people before the eyes of humanity, Kurtulmus said the global system has failed to take any effective, result-oriented action in response to the massacre.

Despite the helplessness of the international system and the indifference of many countries, the conscience of humanity has been stirred, he said.

“Since 1917, a systematic project of occupation and erasure has been increasingly gaining power and influence -- displacing people from their homes and lands, and through usurpers, so-called settlers -- driving people from their ancestral homelands.

“This project is being carried out in an organized and deliberate manner. Furthermore, due to the unlimited support provided by certain countries, the Zionist regime has continued to escalate its oppression of the Palestinian people. However, at this point, the genocide has reached its peak, and the policy of de-Palestinization of Gaza is now being openly discussed on the international stage,” he said.

Emphasizing that a new era has begun for Palestine and Israel with the judicial processes and rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court, Kurtulmus said Israel has “finally” been confronted.

“From now on, we are entering a period of political and intellectual struggle that will require us to be much stronger, much more organized, and far more determined. In this regard, the Parliamentary Initiative for Supporting Palestine will, God willing, act as the nucleus of a snowball, firmly united and steadily growing as it moves forward,” he said.

Kurtulmuş said nearly 150 countries recognize Palestine.

But noted that some do not provide sufficient support for the cause and emphasized the need for those states to intensify their backing.

“We must exert all our efforts to isolate the elements of the Zionist regime, particularly (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his team, on the international stage,” he said, underlining the historical significance of the initiative launched by South Africa at the International Court of Justice.

“We are aware that there are still countries that have not recognized Palestine. We will continue our diplomatic efforts at the highest level to encourage these countries to recognize Palestine. No matter how long the process takes, we will carry on this struggle with honor and determination, in full compliance with proper procedures,” he said.

"The gateway to global peace is the Middle East. And the key to that gateway is peace in Palestine -- Palestine's well-being, Palestine's tranquility. Through all our efforts and the awakening of humanity’s conscience, we will eventually witness the establishment of a fully sovereign and territorially intact state of Palestine, within the 1967 borders and with Jerusalem as its capital. We will continue to fight for its creation until the very end. Long live the Palestinian people, long live a free Palestine,” he added.