Parliament speaker says Gaza 'not for sale', denounces Israeli 'genocide'

ISTANBUL

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş denounced Israel's actions in Gaza as one of the worst genocides in modern history, declaring that “Gaza is not anyone’s private property” and reaffirming Türkiye’s support for Palestinian sovereignty during a high-level parliamentary meeting held in Istanbul.

Speaking at the opening of the Meeting of Parliaments Supporting Palestine, attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Kurtulmuş condemned what he described as 1.5 years of relentless violence in Gaza, resulting in nearly 60,000 deaths and thousands more missing or wounded.

“This is a genocide unlike anything modern times have seen,” Kurtulmuş said. “We are witnessing the systematic destruction of an entire people, and the world is largely silent.”

He criticized the international community’s failure to take concrete action and emphasized the growing global conscience in support of Palestine. “Despite the international system’s paralysis, human conscience is rising. Voices for Palestine are echoing across streets, parliaments, and capitals around the world,” he added.

Kurtulmuş stressed that Gaza and the entire territory of historical Palestine belong to the Palestinian people. “These lands are watered with the blood of martyrs and are as sacred to Palestinians as a mother’s milk. Turning Gaza into a tourist haven is a delusion that humanity will reject.”

The speaker also drew attention to what he called the “deliberate policy of de-Palestinization,” noting that even international actors are now beginning to recognize this as a formal strategy of the Israeli government.

Highlighting the growing momentum for justice, Kurtulmuş praised international legal steps taken by South Africa and others at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). “For the first time, Israel—once untouchable—is being held accountable in international legal arenas,” he said.

He called for intensified diplomatic efforts to isolate the Israeli government, especially Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet. “From now on, our struggle must be more organized and more powerful. This initiative marks the beginning of a long and determined international campaign.”

Kurtulmuş emphasized the need for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, stating: “The key to global peace lies in the Middle East, and the key to Middle East peace is a fully sovereign Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, within the 1967 borders.”