By Muhammad Sheikh Yusuf
ISTANBUL (AA) - Ibn Khaldun in Türkiye began hosting a symposium Friday on "Palestine and the Future of Global Relations," in Istanbul that is attended by academics from around the world.
The two-day conference will discuss the academic role concerning Palestine globally, with the participation of elite scholars from European and Arab countries.
"Jerusalem is a city of knowledge and religions, suffering under occupation where Israel has killed women, children, and elderly. No one in the world can accept these actions,'' said Atilla Arkan, the dean of the university.
"There is an important role that academics must undertake on Gaza. That's why we organized this symposium to make the silent international community hear our voices,'' he added.
Faculty member Faruk Yaslıçimen said the gathering ''looks forward to the future'' and aims to "present the position of the researchers seeking peace and justice.''
“The symposium will see over the course of two days, six sessions covering the apartheid and international factors on the Gaza Strip,” according to Yaslıçimen.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas. The ensuing Israeli war has killed more than 29,410 victims and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Nearly 70,000 have been injured.
Less than 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack while more than 200 were taken back to Gaza as hostages.
The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio