After his visit to Qatar, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, answering journalists' questions on the plane, stated, "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently in a situation where he is facing political bankruptcy. He can declare bankruptcy at any moment. There is a West that turns a blind eye not only to Netanyahu's but also to the atrocities of the alliance."
Regarding the allegations that the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad is preparing for assassinations of Hamas leaders in some countries, including Türkiye, Erdoğan expressed his reaction, saying, "If they dare to take such a step against Türkiye, they will pay the price in a way that they cannot straighten their backs."
After accepting the invitation of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and attending the 9th Meeting of the Türkiye-Qatar High Strategic Committee, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan answered journalists' questions on the plane upon his return.
Erdoğan laid out the following keynotes in his comments:
"If it weren't for the support of Western countries, primarily the United States, towards Israel, we wouldn't be facing such a situation in our region right now. The unlimited financial and material support, including money, weapons, ammunition, and equipment, from these countries has seriously elevated Israel, the spoiled child of the West, to these levels. How far will this go? This situation, especially, will be even more provocative for countries that have very different relations with Israel. The global system, which acts according to the identity of the perpetrator, is out of tune. How do you intend to fix this broken setting? Especially, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is currently in a situation on the brink of bankruptcy. He could declare bankruptcy at any moment. Not only Netanyahu but also the West, which turns a blind eye to the atrocities of the coalition, is complicit. Fortunately, since October 7th, the Western view towards Israel has seriously changed. I believe it won't take much longer, and Israel's ruthless behaviour, especially towards Gaza, will bring it to face with bankruptcy. Before the Gaza attacks, there was a trial in Israel regarding Netanyahu, as you know. The Israeli judiciary, in collaboration with the occupying forces, is currently refraining from making a negative decision about him. However, I believe they are on the verge of making that decision.
On the other hand, we, with around 3,000 lawyers from different parts of the world, have applied to the International Criminal Court for the international trial of Netanyahu and his accomplices. We have brought the war crimes in Gaza to the attention of the court, and we will follow up on this. Not only us, but there are also serious applications against Israel from different parts of the world to the International Criminal Court.
In addition to the determined stance of these countries, the number of people in solidarity with the Palestinians is increasing every day. These voices rising in the streets of London, in front of the White House in New York, in Paris, Belgium, the Netherlands, and many other places around the world will not cease until the oppression in Palestine ends, and the perpetrators are held accountable. Like all conscientious people, our hearts ache in the face of the indescribable oppression in Gaza. The Israeli government, devoid of humanity, will kill 16-17 thousand Palestinians in Gaza, block their access to food, water, and medicine, prevent the transfer of the injured to hospitals, and people with a conscience will not stand against it, is that so? Such an attitude would be heartless and ruthless, and we can never accept it.
I can comfortably say that Qatar's perspective aligns with ours throughout this entire process. In the upcoming period, both personally and through our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant institutions, we will remain in contact with Qatar. We will operate this process together with the aim of achieving peace, taking steps together. Because the next stage is not a process where we say, 'Let it walk on its own.' There is a Gaza devastated by Israel's brutal attacks in the forefront. The priority is to establish a ceasefire and subsequently evacuate the wounded from Gaza. Among the civilian population in Gaza, there are also cancer patients. As you know, we have brought some of them to our country for medical treatment. There is also the issue of rebuilding and reconstructing Gaza.
In this regard, we will do what is necessary together, with all our strength. We will start the reconstruction and rebuilding. Qatar is determined to walk in the same direction as Türkiye in this matter. We are ready to take on the role of guarantor and host this conference. They just need to genuinely want peace. We constantly advocate for peace, law, and justice. We express these not casually but with the awareness that these concepts need to endure to prevent a major catastrophe in the world.
To those with eyes who do not see the oppression, to those with ears who do not hear the truth, to those with tongues who do not speak the truth, we say, 'See, hear, speak the truth now.' In essence, we offer the prescription for the salvation of human dignity. We will not falter, we will not tire, and we will continue to tell the truth and seek justice tirelessly. We cannot afford the luxury of saying, 'We tried, but it didn't work.' We will persist in our efforts for peace. We have formulated new roadmaps. We will express our solutions for the oppression in Gaza, the long-standing drama of Palestine, and the path to lasting peace.
Firstly, I consider even discussing this plan as disrespectful to all Palestinians. This plan is not something we would consider, contemplate, or discuss. Israel's occupation plan of Palestinian territories starting in 1947 has unfortunately reduced Palestine and Gaza gradually. Now, Israel intends to completely take the remaining land in Palestine and occupy those areas. It is impossible to view this positively or approach it positively because these lands belong to Palestinians.
The decision on what will happen in Gaza and who will govern it rests with the Palestinian people. We do not recognize any decision that overrides theirs. The best thing Israel can do is to accept the establishment of an independent and geographically cohesive Palestinian State within the 1967 borders and return the occupied Palestinian territories to their rightful owners. Israel should remove the individuals they label as terrorists from those homes and lands they've settled and contemplate building a future of peace with the Palestinians. I believe the ultimate victors in this process will be the Palestinians. Every now and then, Hamas is blamed; they say Hamas is up or down. Hamas is, above all, a resistance organization. Hamas emerged victorious in elections in Palestine.
I was asked this question 21 years ago in a meeting with a group in the United States. I said it then, and I say it now: Hamas is a political movement that had its territories taken away from them in 1947. Despite all efforts, they won elections in Palestine. Today, Hamas is committed to protecting its own territories. Israel attempted to turn Gaza into an open-air prison for years, imposing restrictions on water, food, clothing, and electricity, trying to discipline it in their own way. Despite all this time, the people of Gaza haven't given up, and I believe Israel will not succeed now either.
They don't know the Turks. They don't know us. If they dare to make such a mistake, they should know that the cost, the consequences, will be very, very heavy. Those who are currently taking these steps to besiege Gaza from the air, sea, and land, thinking they will achieve results within a week, what happened? Did they succeed? They did not. If they dare to take such a step against Türkiye and the Turks, they will be condemned to pay a price in a way that they won't be able to straighten their backs again. Those who embark on such an endeavor should not forget that the consequences of this can be extremely serious. The distance Türkiye has taken in both intelligence and security is known worldwide. Moreover, we are not a newly established state. This should not be forgotten by anyone.
Above all, Netanyahu will be prosecuted one way or another, either today or tomorrow. In fact, there is currently internal discord and disputes among Israelis regarding this. Just as squares around the world rose up, the squares in Israel are now also standing, and they are divided. There is an Israeli group that wants Netanyahu to be held accountable at any moment. Netanyahu will not be able to escape paying the price for what he has done. Sooner or later, he will be prosecuted, and he will pay the price for the war crimes he committed. If international law is applied and the punishment for these war crimes is executed, this decision will serve as a lesson to all oppressors in both the Palestinian region and other parts of the world. However, if we abandon this pursuit and do not follow up on the appeal there, it opens the door to new genocides. Therefore, we will handle this matter firmly and do our best to ensure the prosecution of the perpetrators of the Gaza genocide.
The current coalition governing Israel is not healthy. This coalition has collapsed and is collapsing. Do not think of them as very stable; they are on their way out. We said about 50-60 days ago that Netanyahu is on his way out, and signs of their departure have begun to appear. Those saying to Israel, 'We are tired of supporting you,' are starting to emerge. Look at France, which made supportive statements in the early days. Is France the same now?
French President Macron is making very different statements now. Similarly, many other Western countries are no longer making the statements they did initially. The key to all of this is the result of patience. You know, we have a very important principle: 'Men sabera zafera. The one who is patient will achieve victory.' Currently, Hamas and Palestine are activating this mechanism of patience. I believe they will achieve victory. The cost will be heavy, but they will reach victory.
My opinion is that there will be a change in the attitudes of countries that cast abstaining votes. After the joint summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League, a seven-nation group was formed to inform countries about Israel's oppression and possible solutions. Our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, is part of this group, which is currently touring different countries. They started working intensively after the decision taken at the Riyadh Summit.
This is the first time that such an action group has been formed within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The significant aspect is that this group speaks with one voice on the issue of Palestine. First, they visited Russia and China. Later, discussions were held in France and the UK. They also met with Mediterranean countries. In each meeting, the narratives and policies we developed regarding Palestine were conveyed to the other party. As these policies were explained, we saw a significant shift in discourse.
The Islamic world is uniting its voice and discussing solutions. Now, the discussion has moved beyond the question of 'What will happen to Gaza?' to issues like 'How will a two-state solution be achieved, and how will aid be organized?' There are countries that initially sided with Israel at the beginning of the process but distanced themselves as they saw the realities. There are also countries that initially remained silent at the United Nations but, in fact, opposed Israel's unlawful attacks. Some are now beginning to raise their voices, driven by the pressure from their people, which is hopeful.
There are also those who boldly speak out, like Spain. I believe that if this principled stance spreads in Europe, Israel will not be able to sustain its massacre. Israel is aware that it is losing Europe. The conscience of societies will accelerate this loss, and ultimately, Palestine and human values will prevail.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been in close contact with all parties from the beginning. In our discussions with him and his relations with the region, he has never expressed a pro-Israel view. Secretary-General Guterres has genuinely stood against this oppression, especially in the face of this cruelty. Our colleagues have occasionally had meetings with him. In all our meetings, Guterres appreciates our stance against Israeli oppression and expresses his opinion in favor of its continuation, which is a beacon of hope for us. The fact that 121 countries at the United Nations General Assembly stood by Palestine against oppression was already very important. Additionally, there are about 40 countries that cast abstaining votes.
We now aim to focus on these abstaining countries. The number of countries aligning with the West and the United States is only 14. This is the clearest and most beautiful expression of how widely accepted the justification of Palestine is. Given this situation, it is important for us to continue our diplomatic moves. Can we ensure that these 40 countries stand by Palestine against Israeli oppression? We need to make efforts in this direction. The attitude of the United Nations General Assembly, beyond the United Nations Security Council, gives me great hope. On the other hand, our discussions with Russia continue, and so far, we have not faced any problems, nor do I expect any in the future. The United Nations is currently inoperable institutionally and is helplessly watching events unfold due to the distorted structure of the Security Council.
Unfortunately, we are experiencing once again the bitter consequences of the crisis that led to our statement, 'The world is bigger than five.' Protecting world peace is the fundamental duty of the United Nations. Due to the skewed structure of the Security Council, it is unable to fulfill this duty. God forbid, in the context of a larger conflict, the end of the UN may be like the League of Nations. Therefore, we must act with the understanding that it is better to prevent harm than to recover from it, and we must discuss the revision of the UN system. We must do this before it is too late; otherwise, the UN system will not be able to extinguish a major fire and the world will enter a new phase of loss."
