Updated 46 minutes ago
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the 5th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Jerusalem Platform. Regarding the relations between Turkey and Israel, Erdoğan said, “We have cut off our relations with Israel, especially in the commercial sense, and we are cutting them off.”
Erdoğan argued that the Arab world of two billion people “could not pass the Gaza test successfully.”
Listing Turkey’s aid to Gaza since October 7, the President reminded that the Ministry of Commerce has imposed export restrictions on 54 product groups to Israel and claimed that “Turkey is the only country that imposes export restrictions on Israel.”
Erdogan continued, “Long before the Gaza massacres, we had already completely stopped the shipment of materials that could be used for military purposes. We reinforced this attitude with the export restriction decision we took on April 9.”
The President also repeated the phrase “Palestine’s National Force” for Hamas.
“No one should expect us to remain silent about the genocide. We cannot be among those who slander Hamas as a terrorist organization just because Europe wants it to,” said Erdogan, adding, “We cannot label Palestinian resistance fighters as terrorists. We will continue to see Hamas as the National Force of Palestine.” ” said.
Erdoğan argued that they were subjected to “great slander” during the local election process and that there were “those who tried to overshadow their strong support” for the Palestinian resistance and continued as follows:
“They carried out this dirty campaign because their ambitions overtook their reason and conscience. Unfortunately, many claims that were beyond reason, conscience and morality were brought to the agenda, even to the extent of saying ‘They sent jet fuel to Israel’.”
Erdoğan also responded to the allegations that “Israel is protected against Iranian missiles from the radar base in Malatya Kürecik”:
“The radar center in Kürecik does not and cannot have any relationship, bond or contact with any state other than the security of our country and our alliance. Turkey will not allow such a thing anyway.”
Re-Welfare Party Chairman Fatih Erbakan, in a speech he made before the election, said about the Kürecik Radar Base, “There is a radar base established in Kürecik in Malatya to protect Israel against Iranian missiles. It is up to us to protect this murderous, Zionist Israeli regime.” “For God’s sake, let’s close down this Kürecik Radar Base,” he said.
Reminding that Palestine’s full membership was blocked by the US veto in the vote held in the United Nations Security Council last week, Erdoğan expressed this situation as “a great shame and a serious injustice”.
Stating that the USA ignored the will of other Security Council member states with this decision, Erdoğan said, “We do not accept this decision” and continued as follows:
“The American administration does not contribute to the solution with the unconditional military and diplomatic support it gives to Israel. It causes the problem to grow even further.
“Approving the 25 billion dollar military package to Israel is the clearest indication of this. Instead of repeating groundless accusations against Turkey based on the events of 1915, the American administration should look at Gaza and prevent Israel’s genocide attempts in Gaza.”
Erdoğan’s visit to the White House
Shortly after President Erdoğan’s statements, it was reported that his meeting with President Joe Biden in the USA, which has not yet become official, was postponed.
Reuters news agency reported that the meeting, which was planned to be held on May 9 at the White House, was postponed at the request of the Turkish side.
The agency based this news on an unnamed Turkish official. It was also stated that the date change was requested due to the change in Erdoğan’s schedule.
The US side did not officially announce this invitation, but Reuters reported that the White House invitation to this effect was conveyed to Ankara in March.
The two leaders did not meet at the White House during Biden’s presidency.
