As Israel continues its unabated genocide in Gaza and expands its war to Lebanon, a very timely international conference was held in the Turkish capital this week.
The current humanitarian situation in Gaza, the role of international law and diplomacy in dealing with the crisis, and the failure of the U.N. system to stop Israel’s relentless attacks on Palestinian and Lebanese civilians were some of the themes discussed at the Conference on the Future of Palestine, organized by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Tuesday.
Where will Israel attack next? Where will Israel stop? Who can stop the Netanyahu government? These were also some of the questions asked during the sessions attended by ministers and diplomats. The lack of unity in the Muslim world in the face of the genocide in Gaza and the Western support to Israel’s War Cabinet were some of the criticisms pointed out.
The organizers of the event told me that more than 3,100 people, which included foreign representatives, members of civil society, academics and students attended the conference. I must say, I was a little surprised by this number. Of course, this surprising moment was not because I was expecting fewer people in such a meeting. Rather, it showed that there is a high expectancy from Türkiye and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan when it comes to helping Palestine.
The conference began with the opening speech of Zafer Sırakaya, AK Party’s chair of foreign affairs, who, rightfully, demanded a new level of approach to the issue. “Aid to Palestine alone is not enough. We must press for an end to all occupation and a political solution that honors the sovereignty, security and self-determination of the Palestinian people. The responsibility of the international community is not just to condemn, but to act decisively. Without such action, the Netanyahu war machine will run unchecked and trigger a regional crisis. The power to create meaningful change lies in the tools of diplomacy and sanctions, but they must be applied with purpose and determination,” he said.
I thought this was a crucial point for all members of the international community with a sense and purpose in dealing with the "What is next?" question in the face of the ongoing genocide. When Gaza has turned into the largest cemetery for children, when starvation is used as a weapon, when there is no other place to go to shelter from bombs, and when the international system has failed the civilians in Gaza, the condemnation is no longer "a step."
The responsibility to take new diplomatic steps, impose sanctions and ultimately bring those who are supporting the massacres to justice is on the shoulders of the whole international community.
In fact, with the exception of Türkiye, no one has imposed even economic sanctions against Israel, not even any members of Islamic countries nor the parties involved in the case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). If the question is about the future of Palestine, then the current crisis must be dealt with accordingly through tangible and concrete steps.
“Words, diplomacy and international policies are no longer effective,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during the first session of the full-day conference, which was moderated by Parliament's foreign affairs committee chair and former Vice President Fuat Oktay.
Fidan said sanctions and boycotts against Israel must be the first steps. The lack of any economic, political or military price further paves the way for Israel’s expansionism, Fidan warned.
The first session, which focused on the future of Palestine and diplomacy, also had Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al Safadi as a speaker. Former Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu moderated the second session, which focused on the role of politics and parliament in the future of Palestine, and Cüneyt Yüksel, an AK Party lawmaker who heads Parliament’s Justice Committee moderated the third session.
Erdoğan also attended the conference. It is a known fact that he has always been a strong advocate of the Palestinian struggle. In fact, he has been a leading figure who places the Palestine and Gaza issues, oppression elsewhere against the Muslim community, or other injustices in the international community at the center of his agenda and his speeches on international platforms.
His speech during the conference focused on the current humanitarian tragedy but also instilled a sense of hope for the future of Palestine. "One day, tears and suffering will end. Mothers in Gaza will ready the bridal veil for their children instead of the shroud. In the West Bank, in all the occupied Palestinian lands, children will run and walk freely, when they look up at the sky, they will see the sun, moon and the shining stars, not warplanes,” he said in an emotionally charged tone, which received a long standing ovation.
Erdoğan also repeated his criticism of the failure of the international system in solving the ongoing crisis through the international governance mechanisms.
“Israel’s genocide policy, which has expanded to Lebanon after Gaza, has led humanity to recognize the true face of Zionism. During this period we have also seen how the Zionist lobby controls global powers and the global system, puts pressure on the economy, trade, media, cinema industry, every branch of arts, the academic world, universities, if not state as well as military and civil bureaucracy in some countries.”
The president has long voiced, with his famous motto “The world is bigger than five,” that the international system only serves the interests of the privileged and powerful states, namely the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. He has long proposed a reform of the current system, which he criticizes for not being functional or representative of the new multipolar world order. “We have followed with shame how international organizations, including the United Nations Security Council, have become incapable of doing anything in the face of Israel’s spoilt acts,” Erdoğan also said.
In addition to the abovementioned, a critical moment from his speech was on Israel’s expansionist agenda in the region.
“The members of the Netanyahu Cabinet decipher their actual purpose, where they set their sights on, and until where, they want to expand their policy of occupation with every statement they make. I must stress hereby that we can estimate where this expansionism will expand to if Israel, which is becoming increasingly spoilt and increasingly fierce, is not stopped. Although some circles that lack comprehension in our country cannot see the approaching danger, we see the risk and take all kinds of measures.”
Erdoğan and other high-level members of his government have voiced that the ultimate goal of Netanyahu's government is to expand the war into the wider region.
"The consequences of a ground operation in Lebanon will not be similar to (Israel's) past occupations," Erdoğan had said recently and added that "Driven by the delusion of a ‘promised land,' after Palestine and Lebanon, the Israeli government will set its sights on our (Turkish) homeland.”
Of course, time will show where Israel will stop its expansionist agenda or how it will be stopped. However, the Zionist idea of a "promised land" or "Greater Israel" is not a secret. Israeli figures such as the Netanyahu Cabinet’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have openly voiced their proposal for expanding Israel's borders beyond the Jordan River.
In a recent interview in a documentary, Smotrich was asked: Is Israel's sovereignty meant to extend from the (Mediterranean) Sea to the Jordan (River)? Is that all?
“Slowly, slowly. According to the books of our sages, the future of Jerusalem will extend to (Syria's capital) Damascus, and Jerusalem alone will reach Damascus,” he had responded.
This radical ideology is not only a recipe for disaster for the people of the region in the Middle East, but it is also suggesting instability for the whole world.
Again, if the question is "Who will stop Israel?" for me there are two complimentary answers. First, a collective and conscious international stance against the genocide that would put all diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions against the aggressor in Gaza. Second, of course, the supporters of Israel, namely the U.S. and some EU countries.
Neither is an easy task.
The awareness fully exists when it comes to what is taking place in the occupied Palestinian territories and Lebanon. This awareness, however, must now translate into action.
In conclusion, the fact that the time has come for moving beyond mere condemnation and solely awareness was, I think, the main outcome of the conference. Ultimately, immediate access to humanitarian aid, establishing a cease-fire and ending the occupation in Gaza must be established. The long-term solution, of course, must achieve a two-state solution with an independent, sovereign and geographically integrated Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
