Turkish Islamist party holds anti-Israel rally

Anatolia news agency, Ankara
9 Jul 06

Istanbul, 9 July: The SP [Felicity Party] Istanbul Provincial Offices
organized a rally in Caglayan Square denouncing Israel and supporting
Palestine.

Addressing the rally, SP Chairman Recai Kutan said that inhumane
acts were taking place in fraternal Palestine, and that millions
of Palestinians had been ejected from their homeland with blood and
tears for more than half a century now.

Noting that those who stayed behind were exposed to unending cruelty,
attacks and massacres, Kutan said they had all come to this rally
to provide support for Palestine and their Muslim brothers in the
face of the cruelty that had been escalating these past few weeks,
to condemn the cruelty of the bullies, and to warn their allies.

Stating that the Israeli army had gone into the Gaza Strip and
launched a ground operation supposedly to free a soldier who had been
captured by Palestinian resistance fighters on 25 June, Kutan said:
"Over 1.3 million Palestinians are being subjected to cruelty and
inhuman treatment all over a soldier who has been abducted, not
killed. This latest attack by Israel is not an operation to free
their captured soldier. Their goal is to punish the Palestinian
people by depriving them of water, electricity, food and medicine,
and to incite the Palestinian people against Hamas."

Stating that the world was remaining silent in the face of these
inhumane and horrific practices, and that no body apart from a few
puny voices had spoken out, Kutan noted:

"Where is the UN? Where are the international human rights
organizations? What are the Arab League and the OIC doing? All they
do is make empty and ineffectual diplomatic statements. Now is not
the time for giving ineffective diplomatic words to the Israeli
administration. The entire Islamic world should unite politically,
economically and in other fields as part of the brotherhood of Islam,
and should support one another. Effective policies must be laid out
to counter the tyrants, not empty words. This lack of interest and
silence only serves to increase the pain suffered by the Palestinians
a little more every day, and makes our Palestinian brothers feel alone
and helpless. The greatest onus here is on Turkey. But Turkey is far
from fulfilling its historical responsibility. Staying silent in the
face of cruelty only supports the cruelty."

Palestinian Prime Minister Isma’il Haniyah attended the rally by
telephone. In his speech Haniyah said that while he could see those
attending the rally his heart was with them.

Saying that he was saluting his Turkish brothers on behalf of his
people, Haniyah said: "Your stance means a lot to us. I can feel
in my heart that you are supporting us. As the Palestinian Prime
Minister and the representative of the Al-Aqsa Mosque I am with you
all in spirit on the streets of Istanbul now. This jihad will go on
whether we are in government or not."

Addressing those at the rally via a giant TV screen former chairman
of the defunct Welfare Party Necmettin Erbakan stated that Israel
was exhibiting the greatest horror in trying to wipe out the Muslims
living in the Gaza Strip, and he said that the administrations of a
few Muslim countries were just watching it happen.

Erbakan said that the measures necessary to end the massacre in
Palestine needed to be taken immediately.

SP Deputy Chairman Omer Vehbi Hatipoglu stated that Israel was
carrying out genocide before the eyes of the world, and said: "All
you who put the Armenian genocide before us at every opportunity,
where are you now? Are you dead to these events?"

Throughout the meeting slogans were chanted and God is Great was
shouted frequently.

SP deputy chairmen, provincial and district chairmen plus mayors and a
large number of party members together with various NGO representatives
were at the rally, where placards bearing the phrases: "Israel is
committing crimes against humanity, the world watches" and "The only
friends Muslims have are other Muslims" were carried.

Furthermore, the Gulhan-Kadir Ulger couple, who got married today,
attended the rally as bride and groom and stayed a while.