Akdeniz: Turkey has to defend a solution for both Palestine and the Kurdish issue

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  • 12:35 23 October 2023
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ISTANBUL - Stating that the AKP acts as if it is playing a mediator role and acts with NATO, journalist Ercüment Akdeniz said: "If Turkey defends peace for Palestine, it has to defend peace and solution in the Kurdish issue as well."
 
Attacks on Gaza, which was bombarded after the attack launched by Hamas against Israel under the name of "Aqsa Flood" on October 7, continue. According to the latest data in Gaza, where the toll is heavy, 4 thousand 651 people lost their lives, including 1873 children. The death toll in Israel exceeded 1,400.
 
According to the data of the Autonomous Administration, 44 people, including 4 children, lost their lives and 55 people were injured in Northern and Eastern Syria, which Turkey, which has been the "apostle of peace" against the attacks of Israel, which is preparing for a land attack, has been bombarding since October 4. An additional 2 million people were left without water due to attacks on infrastructure.
 
Journalist-writer Ercüment Akdeniz evaluated the latest developments.
 
journalist-writer Ercüment Akdeniz 
 
THE 'GREEN BELT' PROJECT OF USA
 
Stating that the Palestinian issue has been going on for a long time and that the Palestinian people have carried out rebellions and intifada actions against it, Akdeniz said: "Hamas, like many Islamic and jihadist structures, emerged with the USA's "Green Belt" project. Hamas views the Palestinian issue not as a national issue but as a "cause of the ummah". The Palestinian cause is a national cause, a national problem. It is a national cause, just like the Kurdish issue or the Northern Ireland issue. It is one of the fundamental problems of the struggle for democracy, which has a democratic character; however, the approaches of Hamas, Taliban, Al Qaeda and ISIS are not a nation-state in the world, but an ummahism."
 
'HAMAS IS HARMING PALESTINE'
 
Stating that Hamas's style of action is no different from the style of organizations such as ISIS and the Taliban, and that it aims to achieve victory by intimidating the people of the world, Akdeniz said: "This style of action should be criticized. These would clearly harm the Palestinian cause. According to them, it does no harm. Hamas' agenda includes a war of religions rather than a national struggle. There is an effort to take a place in the change of the world by turning the struggle into a religious war, as in Al-Qaeda and ISIS. But Palestine will not benefit from this war; on the contrary, its 70-year-old legitimate national cause could be seriously damaged."
 
7 MILLION PALESTINIANS ARE REFUGEES
 
Noting that according to the data of the Federation of Expatriates in Palestine, 7.9 million Palestinians had to migrate after Israel's attacks on Gaza, Akdeniz said: "Some of the people in Palestine, which has a population of 14 million, became refugees in the camps on their own land. There are currently 59 refugee camps scattered in various regions. There are also a large number of Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. When we look at the movement of Palestinian refugees, we see that they somehow do not leave their homeland, that is, they revolve around it because there is always a desire to return. They are either in border countries, in refugee camps in their own countries, or in captivity in closed areas. In addition, we know that there is a Palestinian diaspora in Europe and the USA."
 
REGIONAL WAR AND MIGRATION
 
Drawing attention that one of the issues that need to be focused on is "the spread of the war to the region,  Akdeniz said: "For example, would Israel consider the Iran war, would Hezbollah get involved in this? As you know, Lebanon and Syria are also included, Damascus and Aleppo airports were also bombed. If it turns into a regional war with these dynamics, then the character of migration will be different. In this case, Türkiye may face serious migration. But this is a plan B. In the first stage, it seems that there will be a huge migration from Palestine because currently the number of Palestinians preferred from Northern Gaza is 1 million, which is a very large population, and they will probably shift towards the surrounding countries. Millions of people have now been displaced. In fact, a great migration began. But this migration does not seem to extend to Turkey."
 
KURDISH AND PALESTINE ISSUE
 
Drawing attention to the Sykes-Picot Agreement signed between England and France in 1916 to determine the borders in the Middle East, Akdeniz said: "When these borders were determined, the Kurds living in Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria did not have the chance of a national state. The Kurdish, Palestinian and Northern Ireland issues have not been solved as we enter the 21st century. The Palestinian national issue, in particular, is viewed as ummah. If you are going to take care of national issues, then you need to see the Kurdish issue as well. That's why a more ummahist line is followed and the national issue is ignored. There is a double standard here. Likewise, Europe and the world behave in a double-standard and pragmatic manner. When it comes to the Palestinian issue, there is a certain amount of noise. But Kurds are almost never seen."
 
THE HYPOCRITE OF TURKEY
 
Stating that the Turkish government is trying to open a space for itself through issues such as "grain corridor" and "mediation" in the conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine, Akdeniz also reminded that Turkey sold UAVs(Drones) to Ukraine and is a member of NATO. Stating that Turkey is in the same situation towards Palestine, Akdeniz said: "Foreign ministers came together in Lebanon and the message of 'there should be a two-state solution, let us mediate" came to the fore.
 
Akdeniz continued as follows: “Türkiye is still a member of NATO. For example, they shouted slogans such as 'Turkish soldiers to Gaza'. Where will Turkish soldiers fight when they go to Gaza? Of course, since he is a member of NATO, he will fight behind NATO. As long as NATO is not withdrawn, every word spoken is empty. The same thing goes for the Kurdish issue. The world and the West continue this process by playing the three monkeys. In this equation, the AKP government pretends to play a mediator role on both sides, but actually acts together with NATO, while taking the stance of regressing the Kurdish issue as much as possible both inside and outside while it has the opportunity. This is not an acceptable approach. If Turkey defends peace for Palestine, it has to defend peace and a solution to the Kurdish issue as well."
 
MA / Ömer İbrahimoğlu