Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that standing up against the Israeli occupation’s terrorism is both a national and Islamic duty. In a speech at the 21st Imam Hatip Alumni Congress in the province of Kocaeli, Northwestern Turkiye, President Erdogan referred to the killing of the American-Turkish activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi on Friday by the hands of an Israeli sniper in the West Bank.

He said that the Israeli occupation brutally killed “our young daughter Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, as well as killed 40,000 innocent civilians until today.” He stated that the new phase launched by Turkiye in terms of relations with Egypt, will be in favor of Gaza and Palestine.

He pointed out that the Palestinian territories have been occupied inch by inch by Zionists since the withdrawal of the Ottoman Empire from there in 1918. Erdogan added that the Israeli occupation is now committing genocide in the West Bank also, after attempting to occupy the lands in the Gaza Strip. He stressed that the Israeli occupatio
n has killed more than 40,000 innocent civilians among them 17,000 children since October 7 until now, shedding their blood in a barbaric manner without distinction between man, woman, child, or elderly. He continued by saying that what is happening in Gaza is not a war between the Israeli Occupation and the Palestinians, rather a conflict between expansionist Zionists and Muslims trying to protecting their homeland. President Erdogan warned that the Israeli Occupation will not stop at Gaza, but will try and annex Ramallah as well if it went on like this, and will look to other places in Palestine until it sets its eyes on other countries in the region like Lebanon and Syria. They will covet the territory of our homelands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and openly declare that they will not be satisfied with Gaza, he continued. He pointed out that this is what pushes him to say that Hamas is resisting in the name of all Muslims, and defending not only Gaza but all Islamic territory, as well as Turkiy
e. During his speech, Erdogan also touched on his country’s foreign policy, assuring that Ankara will continue with determination to take all necessary steps to expand Turkish foreign policy. On the interior level, Erdogan pointed out that the projects his government completed over the years in various fields has strengthened Turkiye’s position both regionally and internationally. He expressed his pride in the completion of projects, noting that one of the most important achievements was the removal of obstacles that hindered the schools of Imams and Preachers in Turkiye. One of the things I will be proud of throughout my life is overcoming the obstacles that hindered the schools of Imams and Preachers, increasing their numbers and enhancing the quality of education in them, he exclaimed.

Source: Kuwait News Agency