Türkiye 'dismayed' by 'artificial Intelligence-assisted genocide in Gaza': Parliament speaker

By Ahmet Bugra Olac, Ali Kemal Akan and Serdar Dincel

GENEVA/ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus on Monday said Türkiye is "dismayed by the ongoing artificial intelligence-assisted genocide in Gaza."

"We are appalled by reports revealing how technology is being intentionally misused by Israel to conduct indiscriminate attacks on civilians.

"This techno-brutality, which reduces the lives of Palestinians to sole data points, is enough to explain the atrocities of catastrophic proportions and the scale of mass destruction," Kurtulmus said during the 149th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva.

"We have recently witnessed the booby-trapped pagers being detonated by cyber interference, targeting many civilians. We must firmly condemn such application of technology. This is not only a legal obligation but, more importantly, a moral one," he said, referring to the deaths in Lebanon.

Highlighting that systems similar to the mechanisms that control nuclear weapons should be established against the misuse of high technology, Kurtulmus said: "Uncontrolled aggression is now being waged against Lebanon, pushing us closer to a regional war."

The parliament speaker called for an end to "this trend," underlining that the world, otherwise, runs the risk of being drifted into a "global dystopian autocracy."

Emphasizing that science and technology should be strengthened by morality and virtue, he said that if not relied on ethics and values, "they can bring about material growth but not peace and tranquility."

Also inviting support for the recognition of the Palestinian state, Kurtulmus said: "The IPU should endorse these messages and principles in order to draw attention to the appalling Israeli occupation and to make a strong call for peace and the two-state solution. The IPU cannot and should not turn a blind eye for a third time on this critical issue."

During the event, Kurtulmus held separate talks with his Albanian, Iranian, and Armenian counterparts.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 42,000 Palestinians. It also continues air and ground attacks on Lebanon.