President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday urged Muslim countries to set aside their differences and exhibit support for the people of Palestine and Lebanon against attacks of Israel.

The president, who was speaking at an Istanbul event of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC), said the Zionist regime of Israel and its supporters committed genocide in Palestine but they could not subdue Palestinians.

He also called for recognition of the State of Palestine by more states, adding that it was one of the best answers to Israeli aggression against Gaza and Lebanon. Erdoğan also touched upon Türkiye's aid to Palestine, noting that they have delivered over 85,000 tons of humanitarian aid to the strip.

The president said humanity and particularly Muslims have faced tough challenges since last year's COMCEC meeting. "The Islamic world became synonymous with blood, tears and oppression. One of the most savage genocides of the last century is happening right next to us, in Gaza. Israel's attacks on Gaza have left thousands dead and injured thousands of others. Two-thirds of the martyrs and injured are women, children and infants. They cornered 2 million people in 360 square kilometers and deprived them of water, food and medicine. They watched them dying. Even as I speak here, the people of ummah (Muslim community) are dying in Gaza and Lebanon or are being left orphaned," he said.

Erdoğan said the world has witnessed suffering, massacres and murders and questioned how someone can debase themselves so much to be so evil. "Infants became targets of snipers. They committed barbaric acts. But we also witnessed the bravery and patriotism of people. We saw how lions of Gaza heroically resisted the death machine (of Israel) supported by the West," Erdoğan said.

He noted: "Our Palestinian brothers and sisters were not subdued, and they never conceded their dignity or their will to live free in the face of 13 months of cruelty and genocide by the Zionist regime and its supporters."

"I salute all my Palestinian brothers and sisters standing up for their lands at the cost of their lives," he added.

Erdoğan, who was eyeing steps to normalize ties with Israel before the new episode of massacres against Palestinians began in 2023, faced threats from Tel Aviv, while Türkiye became one of the few countries in the region to openly oppose Israel's crimes against humanity. The president said they would not bow down to the threats of the Zionist lobby, which took international institutions, media and global powers hostage, "against me and my country."

On Israel's ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Erdoğan said Israel overstepped the mark. "We believe the agency should be supported more," he said. Erdoğan said this could be one of the best answers to the Zionist attacks along with recognition of the State of Palestine. He repeated his earlier calls to this extent.

Palestine is recognized by 146 out of 193 members of the United Nations. Recognition gathered pace amid increasing Israeli attacks on Palestine and calls for a lasting solution to the issue. Erdoğan personally thanked several European countries, including Norway and Spain, that decided to recognize Palestine last spring and summer.

Erdoğan also noted that Palestine's liberation from occupation was one of the foundation principles of the OIC. "We have to serve this purpose by finding lasting solutions to the issue and to achieve this. We have to be stronger than ever in our solidarity. Otherwise, we cannot prevent Israel's fire from spreading through the whole region after Gaza and Lebanon," he said.

COMCEC meeting

On the COMCEC's role in economic cooperation, Erdoğan said challenges to energy security, supply chain and maritime commerce stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic still had repercussions on global commodity trade and services. "Increasing protectionism hinders global trade volume to reach desired levels. We can only overcome this gloomy outlook by strengthening our cooperation. It is critical to maintain coordination among member countries. We can promote growth by establishing mutual support mechanisms and contribute to global recovery," he said.

Erdoğan praised the theme of the COMCEC meeting as the digital transformation of payment systems, with Islamic finance and digitalization going through an important phase. "Supporting digitalization of Islamic finance will make our financial systems more fair, transparent and accessible," he said.

The president said they aimed to expand the trade volume between members by establishing business networks for small and medium-sized enterprises and noted that a program of the COMCEC now includes 157 projects supported as part of these efforts. He added that 24 other projects where 45 countries stand as beneficiaries will be operational this year.