President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan denounced the West for inaction amid the humanitarian tragedy the people of Gaza suffer. Addressing the 8th Family Council at the Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara, Erdoğan stated that he wondered “how many children should die before the European Union calls for a cease-fire before the United Nations Security Council takes action (to stop bloodshed).”
Erdoğan, a champion of Palestinians’ rights against Israel’s human rights violations, highlighted Israel’s massacre of Palestinians in Gaza since Oct. 7.
“Is it possible not to react while seeing what happens in Gaza? Nothing justifies such savagery. Unfortunately, so-called 'civilized' countries watch it. We heard that the EU is still hesitating to call for a cease-fire. How many children should die before you decide on a call? Let us know when the cease-fire should be declared. I have been in politics for 40 years, but I never sat idly in the face of such savagery,” Erdoğan said.
EU leaders were set to debate on Thursday a call for “pauses” in Israel’s attacks, but media reports say that a united response is far from reality. Germany, a leading member of the bloc, is a staunch supporter of Israel’s attacks targeting Palestinians.
The president criticized the West for unconditional support of Israel’s attacks. “They claim to advocate human rights but ignore the right to life for the people of Gaza for 19 days. What happened to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? You know what is written there, but ignore it because that is best for your interest now. They ignore it because it is the blood of Muslims flowing. They showed who they served by sending warships instead of aid ships,” he said, referring to the U.S. deployment of aircraft carriers to the region. “This is hypocrisy. How many bombs should be dropped on Gaza before a call for a cease-fire?” he said.
“The guilt of every innocent person killed falls upon not just those who dropped the bombs on them but also those allowing it – those ignoring what is happening in Gaza are accomplices in this savagery. We cannot accept it. We cannot remain silent in the face of injustice,” Erdoğan said.
The president said Türkiye was ready to provide any assistance to Gazans and would send ships to the region “when the circumstances are feasible” for evacuation of the injured and providing medical care. “Just as we welcomed Jewish scientists (fleeing Nazis in Germany) in World War II, just as we helped Ukrainian civilians (during the Ukraine-Russia conflict), we are motivated only by our conscience, our sympathy. Children of Gaza and children of Israel are no different than each other. We cannot succumb to the shame of being silent while children are being killed,” Erdoğan stated.
