Hakan Fidan

Address to an Extraordinary Session of the Grand National Assembly Announcing Commercial Trade Sanctions Against Israel

delivered 29 August 2025, Ankara, Republic of Türkiye

[THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. SEE "TEXT NOTE" PAGE BOTTOM]

Mr. President, Dstinguished members of Parliament,

On the occasion of this extraordinary session held on the agenda of Gaza, I respectfully greet you, who represent the conscience of our beloved nation and the national will, and our supreme assembly. It is a source of immense pride for us that our esteemed assembly views the Palestinian issue as a national cause with a non-partisan approach. Led by our President, all state organs and our nation as a whole embrace the Palestinian issue. This situation reflects not only the unity of conscience of our nation, but also points to a strategic unity of understanding that shows where the threat originated.

Honorable members of Parliament,

Today, here, I will share with you the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza, the extent of Israel's aggression, and the resolute struggle our country is waging. Naturally, I am here before you within the limits of public disclosure. As you will recall from my presentation under this same roof last year, I stated before you that Israel's strategy would not be limited to Gaza but would create a wave of fire that would spread throughout the region.

Unfortunately, we are saddened to see that the predictions we voiced in this esteemed Assembly have today, regrettably, come true one by one. The genocide in Gaza has deepened. Steps toward de facto annexation have begun in the West Bank. Tensions along the Israel-Iran border have escalated into a 12-day war. Israel's aggression has spread to Lebanon and Syria. Provocations against holy sites in East Jerusalem, particularly the Al-Aqsa Mosque, have intensified. This dire situation signals a serious rupture that closely concerns the future of both our country and our region.

Distinguished members of Parliament,

To briefly summarize the current situation, Israel has been committing the crime of genocide in Gaza for two years, flouting fundamental human values before the eyes of the world. What is happening deeply wounds the conscience of all humanity. The Turkish nation intensely feels the pain of the Palestinian people subjected to oppression. Israel, taking advantage of the conditions in the region, is conducting military interventions beyond its borders, depopulating the region, and attempting to design it with a strategy of making it uninhabitable.

The ongoing genocide, as you are closely following, is expanding the territories it holds under illegal occupation by committing all kinds of lawlessness to expand its occupied lands. As a result of the ongoing genocide, as you are closely following, more than 62,000 of our Palestinian brothers and sisters have been martyred in Gaza. 85% of Gaza is still under Israeli military control. Not satisfied with this, the Netanyahu government is preparing to occupy the remaining part of Gaza.

As of today, information has been received that the army has been given the order to move. The aim is to displace, once again, the more than one million Palestinians struggling to survive in these areas. The military operations planned in densely populated areas open the door to new mass killings. Israel is using these conditions as an opportunity to completely eliminate the vision of a two-state solution.

Thanks to our country's intensive efforts, the UN General Assembly was able to adopt some resolutions reflecting the conscience of the world public opinion. However, the lack of binding power of these resolutions has left the situation on the ground at the mercy of Israel and its supporters. Almost the entire world has left Israel alone because of its actions. Only with the unconditional support of the United States, which holds a seat on the UN Security Council, has Israel been able to continue its current war crimes. It must be stated clearly from the outset that the real issue behind the tragedy unfolding in Gaza is that the order established after World War I no longer meets the challenges of today. In other words, it has failed. This is what we call the legitimacy crisis of the international system.

Honorable members of Parliament,

The overall situation in Gaza is extremely dire. Israel has the most racist government in history, but it will only curb its aggression if it knows its limits. As Turkey, we oppose any plans that foresee the expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza, regardless of the form or name under which they are presented. Such a plan, regardless of who proposes it, is null and void in our eyes.

As you have all been following throughout the process, we are continuing our contacts with Qatar and Egypt to achieve a permanent ceasefire, and negotiations are being conducted under the mediation of Qatar and Egypt. Despite Hamas's demonstrated flexibility, Israel's reluctance to reach any agreement is instructive and paints an extremely clear picture in terms of revealing the strategy behind their thinking. At this point, the main issue at hand is the future of Gaza. Israel does not want any legitimate Palestinian administration in Gaza and continues its occupation and invasion of the region.

The international community, the United Nations, and local civil society organizations are in agreement that they should take charge of distributing aid. Israel, however, has prevented the distribution of aid, causing the loss of life of thousands of our Palestinian brothers and sisters. It has adopted a strategy of using hunger as a weapon. As a result of Israel's ongoing blockade, the United Nations has declared a famine disaster in Gaza.

Honorable members of Parliament,

This is not a natural disaster. It is the result of a deliberate and cruel policy that has turned hunger into a weapon. The goal is clear: to turn the areas outside the camps where Palestinians will gather into piles of rubble, creating a coercive environment to force Palestinians to emigrate from Gaza.

Israel has also increased its attacks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, taking advantage of the current war and instability. Israel's state terrorism continues. Settlers under the protection of the Israeli army are attacking the Palestinian people, their livelihoods, and their property.

At the same time, raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque continue. Israeli actions aimed at the spatial and temporal division of Al-Aqsa Mosque continue unabated. In particular, extremist Israeli ministers, accompanied by settlers and security forces, continue to violate the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the historical status quo there.

In recent days, as retaliation for some countries' decision to recognize Palestine, the Netanyahu government has increased its new illegal settlement projects, attacks on the ground, and initiatives that will drive the Palestinian administration into financial bankruptcy. Under these comprehensive attacks, Palestine is fighting for its existence.

Honorable members of Parliament,

Israel is under the illusion and delusion that it can ensure its own security by plunging the region into instability. It has adopted this as its policy for the time being. We have been warning about this from day one. If Israel is allowed to continue its reckless attacks in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, it will not only affect the Palestinians. It will set the entire region ablaze.

Unfortunately, we have seen this assessment come true over the recent past. Israel has turned its air strikes against Lebanon into a ground invasion and has occupied southern Lebanon. Israel, which did not hesitate to attack the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stationed in Lebanon, disregarded all international law. Israel continues to maintain a military presence at five points within Lebanon. Israel also continues its attacks on Syria during the transition period and its occupying presence within Syria.

In this vein, it has expanded its occupation of the Golan Heights, penetrated deep into Syrian territory, and become bold enough to strike Damascus. By provoking sensitive points in Syria, Israel has clearly demonstrated that it does not want a stable, strong Syria with national unity and solidarity and territorial integrity. We will never allow Syria's ancient and valuable communities to be exploited in pursuit of these distorted goals.

On the other hand, the ongoing tension between Israel and Iran poses a risk to our entire region. Israel's attacks throughout the year on Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iran are actions that disregard international law and humanitarian values, threaten regional stability, and have the potential to plunge our entire region into chaos. This reckless attitude is far from bearing state responsibility and is the clearest manifestation of a terrorist state mentality that defies the international order.

Honorable members of Parliament,

As Turkey, we have always supported our Palestinian brothers and sisters in their struggle to exist on their own land. We have always kept Israel's oppression at the forefront of the international agenda. I have repeatedly expressed our efforts in this regard from the very beginning.

We have pursued two main avenues. The first is to immediately stop the ongoing genocide and war, and to allow humanitarian aid to enter immediately. The second track is to keep the two-state solution on the agenda in parallel with the first avenue and to gain global acceptance for it. In this regard, as you have witnessed, we have made intensive efforts to mobilize the international community together with like-minded countries and to exert pressure on Israel. The strength we drew from our nation during this process was the foundation for our decisive steps. The Palestinian cause is a priority issue supported by all segments of our society.

In terms of sanctions, no other country has taken more advanced steps than Turkey at this time. We have implemented numerous diplomatic, legal, and commercial measures. We have completely halted trade with Israel. We have closed our ports to Israeli ships. We do not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports. I emphasize that there is no other country that has completely cut off trade with Israel. We do not allow container ships carrying weapons and ammunition to Israel to enter our country's ports, nor do we allow planes to enter our airspace.¹

From day one, our state's resources and capabilities have been mobilized to deliver comprehensive humanitarian aid to Gaza. Since October 7, our country has been among the leading countries in terms of the in-kind and cash aid it has delivered to Gaza. Our total aid has exceeded 100,000 tons. We would like to thank AFAD and the Red Crescent for their tremendous efforts in delivering our aid to Gaza.

Within the framework of our support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, commonly known as UNRWA, we have provided enough flour aid to meet Gaza's needs for a year. The soup kitchens set up by the Red Crescent provide hot meals to tens of thousands of people every day. Through the cooperation of AFAD and the Red Crescent, millions of liters of drinking water are being delivered to the public. Through the cooperation of AFAD and the Red Crescent, millions of liters of drinking water are being delivered to the public.

¹ Claim later clarified to mean "official Israeli flights and flights carrying weapons or ammunition to Israel" only. Commercial flights have remained unaffected.

Original Text Source: YouTube Turkish language transcript

Text Note: Machine translated into English via DeepL. Several near verbatim statements repeated successively omitted; a few minor edits in diction and punctuation for clarity and flow. Report errors to owner@americanrhetoric.com.

Page Updated: 8/31/25

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