Women contributing to his party’s rise as a “movement of the virtuous” were central to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s speech on Wednesday. But the longstanding advocate of the Palestinian cause drew applause for his praise for the women of Gaza.
Addressing an event in Ankara that brought together the women’s branch of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Erdoğan extended his greetings to “brave women of Palestine, of Gaza.”
“I deeply respect them for acting bravely to stand for their lands, their children, their dignity in the face of Israel’s savage attacks that have been continuing for 21 months,” he said.
“These are women who hid their tears while embracing their beloved ones wrapped in a shroud. These are women who did not bow down to invaders despite myriad difficulties, oppression and challenges. These are women who are behind a legendary, magnificent, enormous struggle for a century for freedom, through sacrifice, bravery and resistance,” Erdoğan stated.
In his speech, Erdoğan quoted Fadwa Tuqan, a Palestinian poet whose poems were infused with symbols of resistance. “In her life of 86 years, Tuqan witnessed agony, occupation, massacre and seizure of Palestinian lands. She reflected the spirit of resistance in these words: The fatigue will never spread in the battlefield, over our forehead, we will never rest, until we drive away the phantoms and the crows and the darkness.”
He reiterated his solidarity with the women of Gaza and Palestine, who, he said, “have never let the flag of resistance fall, standing firm with unwavering faith and unbreakable will. Quoting Mehmet Akif Ersoy, author of the Turkish national anthem, Erdoğan said, “Faith is such a divine jewel, so grand. A heart without faith is a rusty burden on the chest.”
At least 57,012 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, the Palestinian Health Ministry said yesterday.
A statement said that 142 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, with 487 people injured, taking the number of injuries to 134,592 in the Israeli onslaught.
"Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them," it added.
The ministry explained that 223 dead people have been added to the registry after their data has been verified.
Israel resumed attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18 and has since killed 6,454 victims and injured 22,551, shattering a cease-fire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.
Erdoğan champions the Palestinian cause and often underlines the need to adopt a two-state solution to the ongoing conflict. Under his leadership, Türkiye sought to mobilize the world to exert diplomatic efforts to stop Israel's aggression targeting Palestinians.
The president also heaped praise on women, who “played the biggest role in the success of the AK Party.”
“Our party, which opened a brand-new chapter in Turkish politics with its stance, principles and values, rose to power thanks to the dedication of women,” Erdoğan said. “Let me say this very clearly: In every achievement we have made during our nearly quarter-century in power, there is your labor, your contribution, your signature and your struggle.”
He emphasized that women helped the party reach every household, from metropolitan cities to the most remote villages. “Unlike some others, we have never seen the women of this country as window dressing. We ensured that women played active, strong roles in every aspect of life – in politics, bureaucracy, academia, business and civil society,” he said.
Erdoğan noted that a 2004 constitutional amendment under his government guaranteed gender equality. “We raised the ratio of female university students from 13% to over 53%. We increased women’s labor force participation from 27.9% to 36.5%,” he said.
“We strengthened women’s cooperatives and introduced new grants and incentive packages for women entrepreneurs. Female employment rose from 25.3% to 33%. We also increased the proportion of female members of parliament from 4.4% to around 20%.”
