ISTANBUL

While the Palestinian group Hamas acts diligently in complying with the ceasefire agreement, Israel is seeking excuses to violate the deal and resume its massacres, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

“Everyone knows Israel’s terrible record when it comes to keeping its promises,” Erdogan told the TRT World Forum in Istanbul.

He stressed that the continuation of the ceasefire, delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the transition to Gaza’s reconstruction phase will only be possible “if Israel is compelled on all these matters.”

Erdogan underlined that in Gaza, hardly a single building remains intact, saying that schools, churches, mosques, and hospitals were bombed. “They say 'Israel is innocent,' how so?” he added. “No one will swallow this. Certainly, Türkiye will not.”

He said Israel has nuclear weapons and the ability to strike Gaza, however and whenever it wants, asking: “How can it be innocent?”

The Turkish president argued that Israel is using hunger as a deadly weapon in Gaza, especially against children. “We saw those children reduced to skin and bone, being disciplined by starvation,” he said.

“Against Israel’s propaganda machine built on lies, 270 journalists exposing Tel Aviv's false propaganda, showing truth on the ground were killed,” he added. He said Palestinian journalists lost not only their lives but their children, spouses, parents were also martyred.

Erdogan also slammed institutions that are responsible for protecting global peace and stability for failing to stop “massacres, prevent genocide, and save children’s lives.”

The decisions taken by the UN General Assembly with overwhelming majorities are frequently sacrificed to the vested interests within the Security Council.

He emphasized that apart from a handful of media outlets and courageous journalists, there was no one to carry the voice of the oppressed people of Gaza to the world. “I believe that the international media community will, even if belatedly, make an objective assessment of this,” he added.

Calling for accountability for journalists who used their pens, cameras and platforms to obscure the genocidal crimes in Gaza, Erdogan commemorated the journalists killed in Israeli attacks and hoped that the world’s conscience honor the memory of these journalists and -- by the evidence they collected with their lives-- ensure that the genocide’s perpetrators are brought to justice.

He reiterated that Ankara is ready to do what is required in this regard, to get Gaza back on its feet as soon as possible. “We are prepared to take the necessary steps before venues such as the International Court of Justice in The Hague.”

“As yesterday, so today and tomorrow, we will never abandon our Palestinian brothers and will continue to defend a two-state solution,” the president declared.

He said he sees the recent cascade of decisions to recognize a Palestinian state as “very important,” inviting countries that have not yet made this decision to act without delay and recognize the state of Palestine.

Time to rethink world order

Erdogan said each passing day underlined the need to build a more just, inclusive and encompassing global system.

“Wars, conflicts, inequality and injustices have almost seized humanity’s agenda,” he said, adding that the current system established by the victors of World War II no longer fits today’s realities and needs.

He criticized the UN Security Council’s “unjust decision-making structure” for failing to provide solutions to humanity’s common problems and said innocent people continue to die in many parts of the world despite clear remedies being available.

Erdogan reiterated Türkiye’s stance that the fate of humanity should not be left to the mercy of five countries, referring to the permanent members – the US, UK, Russia, China and France – recalling his slogan “the world is bigger than five.”

He said the system, which delays decisions even in the face of the gravest humanitarian crises and the most concrete human rights violations, clearly needs fresh ideas, new contributions and a restructuring that reflects current realities.

The Turkish president emphasized that despite the communication revolution of the past 20 years, “if children continue to die from Asia to Africa, we all have an obligation to question ourselves.”

Saying it is easy to sit and watch developments or to criticize them, but difficult to change, transform, and light a candle in the darkness, Erdogan noted: “We chose to take action, assume responsibility, and strive to bring light to darkness. We are striving to bring peace, justice, solidarity, and tranquility to every corner of our civilization's geography, which spans millions of square kilometers.”

Türkiye at center of conflict resolution

Stressing that Türkiye takes initiative not only in Gaza but in every humanitarian crisis around the world, he said from the very first day Ankara have assumed responsibility for achieving a just and lasting peace in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Erdogan said that in talks with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, “we reiterated our determination to provide every kind of support for an initial ceasefire and the establishment of lasting peace.”

He said that “a middle ground will soon be found” in the ongoing conflict, “paving the way for both neighboring peoples to live side by side in peace again,” adding that Türkiye will continue to contribute in every possible way.

Erdogan underlined that Türkiye also helps resolve disputes with the potential to turn into major crises, such as those between Somalia and Ethiopia, also highlighting Ankara’s key role in mediating the recent Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions, which to a ceasefire, hope it will be maintained.

‘No country can afford to isolate itself within its borders’

“Today, no country has the luxury of confining itself within its borders. Geographically, no state can remain indifferent to the problems of its neighborhood or its region. Whether in Gaza, Afghanistan or Sudan, those who say ‘these are not our problems’ as innocent people die will eventually realize that things do not work that way,” Erdogan said.

He warned that those who ignore poverty, conflict and crises just beyond their borders cannot promise a bright future even to their own children, let alone humanity.

“Whoever remains silent in the face of injustice becomes complicit in it. To consent to oppression is itself oppression,” Erdogan said.

‘Massacre in El Fasher must be stopped’

Erdogan also “strongly” condemned the atrocities committed against civilians in Sudan's El Fasher, saying that no one with a conscience can accept or remain silent about the massacres targeting civilians in the city.

“The attacks on El Fasher and its surroundings must end, and the massacres of innocent civilians must be stopped immediately,” he added.

Türkiye is ready to help Sudan sincerely and openly, he said, calling on media to amplify Sudan’s suffering to raise global awareness.

Sudan has been ravaged by a civil war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, causing thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions of people.

El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, fell under the control of RSF on Sunday after months of siege. Rights groups have accused the RSF of committing mass killings, detaining people and attacking hospitals.