UPDATE - Youth branch of Türkiye's governing party holds pro-Palestine demonstrations at 17 universities

By Serdar Dincel, Gizem Nisa Cebi

UPDATES WITH MORE INFORMATION, REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE

ISTANBUL (AA) - The youth branch of Türkiye's governing Justice and Development (AK) party on Thursday held demonstrations in 17 universities across the country to voice solidarity with the student-led protests in various universities in the US and Europe against Israel's ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

"The Israeli expansionism subjected millions of innocent and oppressed Palestinians to migration, famine, and death since 1948. It has turned into a genocide that will be considered as a stain on the history of humanity as of Oct. 7, 2023," the youth branch said in a statement.

"For 209 days, a genocide has been unfolding (in Gaza), where 35,000 people, regardless of age, gender, or disability, were slaughtered by Israeli barbarity," the statement said, noting that tens of thousands of people have been forcibly displaced due to the attacks.

Criticizing international organizations’ silence over the war, it said: "When it comes to the brutality perpetrated by Israel, they have once again chosen to remain silent. They have turned a blind eye to the images of murdered infants and to the cries of innocent women."

"The so-called State of Israel is applying force of silence by utilizing its political, military, and economic power on dominant powers and international organizations," the statement added.

Referring to the ongoing protests across the US universities, it said: "The voices coming from universities, once considered the safest haven in the United States, are overturning the systems of the occupiers."

"Those who fail to hear the reasonable calls from around the world within their soundproof chambers now see the approach of their end, losing control day by day," it added.

Emphasizing that they will continue their "SAYSTOP actions and boycott calls," it invited all academics and university students across Türkiye "to stand against Israel’s brutality, to stand by our Gazan brothers and sisters, and to raise voices in our SAYSTOP actions."

Also, Eyyup Kadir Inan, the president of the AK party’s youth branch, said on X: "We invite all youth movements and university clubs around the world to stand up against the genocide of killer Israel."

The protest marches took place simultaneously at Istanbul University, Marmara University, Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Istanbul Medipol University, Sakarya University, Kayseri Erciyes University, Yozgat Bozok University, Mardin Artuklu University, Erzurum Ataturk University, Diyarbakir Dicle University, Konya Selcuk University, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, Afyon Kocatepe University, Izmir Ege University, Elazig Firat University, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, and Ankara University.

In addition, demonstrations were also organized in various universities in Sanliurfa, Bitlis, Bingol, Bolu, and Eskisehir.

Protests against Israel's onslaught against Gaza have spread across the US after more than 100 people were arrested at Columbia University in New York last week when police tried to clear an encampment.

Student-led protests in the US started last month at Columbia University and spread to other universities and colleges.

Protests are sweeping college campuses nationwide following a police attempt to clear a pro-Palestine encampment at New York's Columbia University, resulting in the arrest of over 100 students.

More than 34,500 Palestinians have been killed and 77,700 injured in a brutal Israeli offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.