Israel can’t kill Palestinian aspirations of 'sovereignty, freedom': Turkish communications director

By Yıldız Nevin Gundogmus

Türkiye’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said on Friday that "despite Israel’s destruction of Palestine’s cultural legacy and monuments in Gaza, Israeli leaders must know that they cannot kill the Palestinian aspirations of sovereignty and freedom."

On his social media account, Altun criticized Israel's attacks on Gaza stating that Israel has committed "new war crimes" by "erasing Palestinian heritage and committing cultural genocide."

Altun emphasized the importance of preserving "archives, libraries, museums, and mosques’’ as valuable assets of a people’s "national memory." He noted: "Destroying them is nothing short of barbarism."

He also underscored the Israeli government's plan to formally expel Palestinian civilians from Gaza, saying: "Their genocidal rhetoric and conduct of war is directed against Palestinian identity and culture itself. This must be considered entirely unacceptable to anyone with a conscience, particularly the Western intellectual community."

He added: "Invasions, massacres, and genocidal actions cannot break the souls of these people under occupations. This has been proven time and again since 1967."

Further, Altun reiterated Türkiye’s call to the international community to take strong steps to prevent further destruction by Israel in Palestine, stating: "We continue to call upon the international community to take drastic action to stop Israel from causing more destruction in Palestine. We call on all parties to facilitate humanitarian aid access and return to the negotiation table. Palestine’s sovereignty must be recognized and established. This is the only viable and durable solution."

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul