This came in a speech he delivered on Tuesday during an event held in the capital, Ankara, to promote a documentary film about Jerusalem.
Kurtulmuş said that Jerusalem is one of the most important centers of Islamic civilization, adding that "the Palestinian territories were once a place where our ancestors taught the entire world the meaning of humanity, fairness, and conscience."
He pointed out that Jerusalem was a true "House of Peace" when Muslims held sovereignty there, emphasizing that "devoting our lives to the establishment of a free Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital is undoubtedly our shared responsibility." He added, "Palestine is a national issue for us and a major part of our identity, and we will continue to defend it until the end."
The Speaker of the Turkish Parliament pointed out the great suffering the Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, are experiencing as a result of Israel's repressive practices against the Palestinian people.
Regarding the Israeli war of extermination against Gaza, Kurtulmuş explained that what is happening is not a product of October 7, 2023, but rather represents a new chapter in a long chain that began with the Ottoman Empire's withdrawal from those lands in 1917, continued with the American occupation of Iraq, and culminated in the ongoing war of extermination today.
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Kurtulmuş described Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories as "a malignant tumor driven by hidden imperialist agendas," emphasizing that the ongoing struggle in Palestine is, at its core, "the struggle of humanity seeking justice." He also affirmed that the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital, is inevitable.
Kurtulmuş concluded by emphasizing that Turkey will continue to stand with the Palestinian people and the causes of Jerusalem and Palestine in all forums, explaining that some Western countries, despite not publicly declaring supportive positions on international platforms, are expressing gratitude to Turkey behind the scenes for its unwavering stance on the issue.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving 62,064 Palestinians martyred, 156,573 injured, most of them children and women, more than 9,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 263 people, including 112 children.
In parallel with the war of extermination in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army and settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, killed at least 1,015 Palestinians, injured nearly 7,000 others, and arrested more than 18,500, according to Palestinian data.
