Erdoğan’s coalition partner calls for the Turkish military to go to Gaza

The leader of the New Welfare Party (Turkish: Yeniden Refah Partisi), in coalition with Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, has called on the Turkish military to intervene in the Israel-Gaza War to help secure the delivery of humanitaian aid.

Fatih Erbakan, President of the New Welfare Party and an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announced that they made a request to the Presidency of the Turkish Grand National Assembly regarding the assignment of the Turkish Armed Forces to establish a security corridor to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Erbakan, in his written statement on the subject, reminded that his party has been “calling on the rulers of Muslim countries to take concrete steps and impose sanctions since October 7,” and said, “Unfortunately, no steps have been taken so far and the persecution continues with all its horror.”

“Today, we say, let’s at least deliver humanitarian aid to the innocent civilians there. In this regard, as deputies of the New Welfare Party, we applied to the Presidency of the Turkish Grand National Assembly with a petition. Our petition text is as follows;

“In order to alleviate the deprivations suffered by the Palestinian people in Gaza, who were condemned to live under blockade for years, due to Israeli attacks, the humanitarian aid provided from Turkey and the world is required to be delivered directly to the victims and needy people, in cooperation with the Turkish Red Crescent, the Palestinian Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

“We respectfully request and request that, in accordance with Article 92 of the Constitution, it be decided to assign elements of the Turkish Armed Forces to Gaza for a period of one year, the borders, extent and amount of which will be determined by the President, in order to create a safe zone on land and a security corridor at sea.

“We want this request to be voted on in the Parliament as soon as possible and we want our parliament to make a decision in this direction with the support of all parties represented in the parliament.”

It is recalled that on October 19, while addressing the Turkish Parliament, Erbakan called for a comprehensive campaign against Israel as mere condemnations would not would bring about a change in the behaviour of the Jewish state. He also criticised Washington for its support of Israel.

“Incirlik Air Base and the Kürecik Radar Base in our country should be closed. The entire Islamic world is duty-bound to take immediate action under Turkey’s leadership. This is both a humanitarian and a religious obligation. If we aim to halt Zionist terrorism, we must take concrete measures and enforce sanctions that serve as a deterrent,” he stated.

During his address in Parliament, according to Nordic Monitor, Erbakan demanded the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador as persona non grata, the recall of the Turkish ambassador from Israel, the suspension of oil and strategic goods sales to the US and Israel by Muslim nations, the termination of all commercial contracts with American and Israeli firms, the denial of access to Turkish airspace, ports and territorial waters for both the US and Israel, the initiation of a global boycott against Israeli and American products and the pursuit of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Furthermore, there is a need to identify individuals who hold dual Turkish and Israeli citizenship and are serving in the Israeli military, he said. “These individuals should be prosecuted in Turkey for crimes against humanity.”

Referring to the remarks of his late father, Necmettin Erbakan, who was known for his antisemitic views and played a pivotal role in establishing political Islam in Turkey while mentoring Islamist politicians such as President Erdogan, the junior Erbakan asserted that Zionists would only respond to the language of sanctions, not mere words.

“We must be courageous and take action against the Zionist monster that seeks to engulf all of the Middle East and the entire Islamic world after Gaza and Palestine,” he said, stressing that Turkey must lead a global uprising in the strongest way possible against Israel and its supporters.

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/11/02/erdogans-coalition-partner-gaza/