ISTANBUL / ANKARA

No terrorist group could commit a crime more grave than Israel’s current genocide in Gaza, said Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus on Tuesday.

“Even if you brought together all the terrorist organizations in the world, they could not commit a crime against humanity greater than the genocide the terrorist Israeli regime has carried out against the people of Gaza over the past two years. Unfortunately, the silence of some countries that claim to speak out against terrorism in the face of Israel’s state terrorism is a grave lesson for all,” Kurtulmus said at the Global Parliamentary Conference on Counter-Terrorism and the Prevention of Violent Extremism, organized by the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul.

Speaking on the second anniversary of the start of the genocide in 2023, Kurtulmus said that more than 70,000 civilians – 80% of them women and children – have been brutally killed, and over 180,000 people have been wounded, half of them severely.

“These figures come from UN reports, and the real toll is likely much higher,” he added. “Nearly 7,000 families have been wiped out entirely. Schools, hospitals, mosques, and churches have been destroyed. The genocide has reached a level that shames even the word itself. Hunger is now being used as a weapon of death. There can be no greater act of terror than this.”

Kurtulmus noted that millions of people around the world have condemned this state terrorism, forming what he called a global front of humanity determined to end Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.

Thanking Hassan bin Abdulla Al Ghanim, the speaker of Qatar’s Shura Council, for supporting the event, Kurtulmus described Türkiye and Qatar as two friendly brotherly nations with deep strategic relations that advocate for peace and stability in their region.

He emphasized that terrorism, a human-made disaster, continues to afflict nations around the world. No matter how powerful, no country can combat terrorism alone, he said.

“That is why we call for collective determination, a joint platform for cooperation, and the strengthening of institutional capacities so that terrorism finds no opportunity anywhere in the world and always faces strong, determined states and international actors committed to fighting it within the framework of law.”

Kurtulmus commended the UN agency delegation for fulfilling an important humanitarian mission and stressed the need to support its efforts.

‘A grave crime against the heroes of the front of humanity’

He highlighted the recent Gaza-bound Global Sumud aid flotilla as one of the clearest examples of this “front of humanity.”

“Participants in this flotilla were unlawfully detained in international waters by Israeli forces, their ships seized, and the volunteers taken into custody before being deported. This represents a grave crime against hundreds of courageous individuals from around the world. Even the most basic humane treatment expected for detainees was denied to them.”

Kurtulmus said that Israel, which continues to commit crimes against even peaceful civilian groups before the eyes of the world, has openly proven itself to be a terror state.

“Just as the world once stood against apartheid in South Africa, it must now act decisively against the aggressive government of Israel, which has fully become a terror state.”

‘Eliminating the causes behind terrorism is a key international responsibility’

Kurtulmus said the fight against terrorism cannot be one-dimensional or unilateral. Just as the causes of terrorism are multifaceted and layered, he said, the response must also be comprehensive and coordinated.

“Terrorism is linked to the absence of democracy, to human rights violations, to economic and regional underdevelopment, and to social inequalities. Therefore, countering terrorism must also mean addressing these root causes. Eliminating the reasons behind terrorism is one of the fundamental responsibilities of the international community.”

‘Proxy wars have left a dark stain on international relations’

The speaker underlined that terrorism is not limited to armed violence by organizations and that new forms of it have emerged over the past decade – particularly proxy wars used by some states as a geopolitical tool.

“One of the main reasons that has emboldened and expanded terrorism is that certain countries, under the guise of proxy wars, have armed and supported terrorist groups to pursue their own interests in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. They have provided these groups with weapons, political and logistical support, and have used them to gain leverage internationally,” he said.

“The concept of proxy wars is a dark stain on the history of international relations. If major powers stopped arming, financing, and politically backing these proxy groups, there would be no terrorist groups left anywhere in the world within a week or 10 days. The issue is that clear,” he added.

He called on all nations to end support for armed groups, regardless of their justifications, and to halt all forms of assistance to them, adding: “If such support ceases, terrorist groups will no longer be able to operate anywhere in the world.”

'Those who supply the weapons are responsible for terrorism in Africa’

On Africa, Kurtulmus said: “In regions where people lack even a glass of clean water or a piece of bread, we see weapons worth tens of thousands of dollars in their hands. Where do these weapons come from? Certainly, terrorist groups are not buying them in local markets. Those who supply these weapons are directly responsible for the terror in Africa.”

He also questioned which countries have provided weapons to terrorist groups in the Middle East, noting that tens of thousands of truckloads of arms have been delivered to these groups, fueling instability and social collapse rather than peace.

“Ending proxy wars must be one of the top global priorities in counterterrorism. Countries that claim to fight terrorism must first stop supporting it. The international community must seriously address this issue and work toward ending it.”

‘We are implementing Türkiye’s model for preventing terrorism’

The speaker also said that Türkiye is currently implementing a new and comprehensive model for preventing terrorism, built on decades of experience.

“For nearly 50 years, terrorist groups have carried out major acts of violence in Türkiye, taking tens of thousands of lives. We know very well who supported, armed, and sheltered these groups. Now Türkiye is about to put this 50-year struggle behind it. We are in the process of finalizing what will soon be presented to the world as Türkiye’s model for preventing terrorism,” he said.

At the end of the conference, Kurtulmus and Qatar’s Abdulla Al Ghanim posed for a family photo with other participants.