Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will address the Turkish Grand National Assembly General Assembly during his Ankara visit on August 15. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Demir, an international relations expert, evaluating the visit, said, “Abbas will make his voice heard to the world from Turkey, the heir of the Ottoman state that ruled in Palestine.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Demir, stating, “Our politicians should clearly express to Mr. Abbas that Turkey is in full solidarity with the Palestinian people,” pointed out the importance of Turkey, as a Muslim country, being both in solidarity with the Palestinian people and alongside all victims as a state of law.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Demir, a faculty member in the Political Science and International Relations Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, evaluated Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s upcoming Ankara visit.
Abbas to Narrate Israel’s Oppression in Gaza During his General Assembly Speech
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Demir, stating that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will address all of Turkey in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, said, “Abbas will make his voice heard to the world from Turkey, which is both a NATO member, an important candidate for the European Union, and the heir of the Ottoman state that ruled in Palestine. In Abbas’s speech to the General Assembly, it is expected that he will address Israel’s oppression in Gaza, the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and the reactions of great powers, regional states, and other international actors to this war. It is believed that Abbas will articulate that this war against the Palestinian people is not just by any criteria and violates international law.”
What Does Netanyahu’s Speech in the US Congress Convey?
Recalling that the war began with Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Demir said, “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his speech to the US Congress, claimed that Hamas consists of rapists and murderers, arguing that the war in Gaza is necessary for the world’s security and justice. In his speech, Netanyahu gave the impression that this total annihilation strategy waged against the Palestinian people is related to the defense of the justice concept found in the Torah against evil.”
“The Zionist Narrative is Simply Wrong”
Stating that there is a narrative about the conflict between Israel and Palestine being related to claims from the Torah and the Bible, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Demir continued:
“According to this, Israel is ‘the land promised by God solely to the Jewish people, and this is the home of the Israeli people until they are driven out of their country.’ However, the Muslim Ottoman Empire wanted to change this reality. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, World War I, and especially World War II, the idea emerged that it was time for Jews dispersed all over the world to return to their homeland. This Zionist narrative is simply wrong. For Israel was not founded thanks to the Torah and the Bible, but as a nation-state, thanks to great powers, within their sphere of influence. It is not possible to establish states and wage wars independently of great powers.”
The History of Palestinian Resistance Against Israeli Occupation…
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Demir also emphasized that there is no war today that remains outside the sphere of influence of great powers, stating, “And as we know, war is defined as politics conducted by other means, but ultimately, it is still conducted with ammunition. Since its establishment, Israel has received this ammunition, for example, from the UK and the US. Since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, great powers have strongly supported Jewish immigration to Israel. The Arab country has gradually been transformed into a Jewish-majority state. The history of Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation is not a Jewish story told in the Torah and the Bible, but rather Israel’s colonization of Palestine with the help of great powers. It is precisely for this reason that while Netanyahu was legitimizing this war, which is disproportionate in every respect against civilians, religious people around the world, not religious Jews, but American politicians, were giving a standing ovation.”
Turkey, as a Muslim Country, Stands in Solidarity with the Palestinian People
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Demir, pointing out that Turkey, as a country with a Muslim-majority population, should assume the role of a single entity with two different faces during this meaningless and senseless period of war, continued as follows:
“Our politicians should clearly express to Mr. Abbas that Turkey is in full solidarity with the Palestinian people. However, Turkey’s solidarity is not only with its religious brethren but with every civilian living there. Turkey stands with the Palestinian people also out of a modern understanding of statehood, just like Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Ireland, and South Africa. As a Muslim country, Turkey is both in solidarity with the Palestinian people and alongside all victims as a state of law. In other words, while Turkey is in solidarity with all victims in this war, it should maintain a distance from all interest groups that trigger the war. The distance here refers to acting within the framework required by the tradition of statehood, modern law, and universal moral principles, stepping outside of religious ethical codes. I believe that Turkey should be in solidarity with the Palestinian people, especially when it comes to aid for civilians. Abandoning our co-religionists to their fate on this dark day is unacceptable.”
Hamas Defeated Israel on its Own Territory with the October 7, 2023 Attack
Moreover, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Demir, stating that war is a form of communication requiring two sides, concluded his words as follows:
“The Palestinian Liberation Organization, represented by 89-year-old Abbas, and Hamas, with whom it has difficulty reaching an agreement, are the parties to this communication. Abbas will deliver his speech both as an opponent of the Hamas organization, which is a party to the war, and as a representative of the suffering Palestinian people. Hamas, with its October 7, 2023 attack, defeated Israel on its own territory and gained respect in the eyes of Muslims and everyone who stands for the just cause of the Palestinian people. I believe that it is important for regional security that Turkey maintains a policy within the framework of the requirements of a democratic rule of law, in solidarity with the Palestinian people, yet in light of the inaction of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the actions of Hamas.”
