Condemnation by Çelik of the US Ambassador’s Support for Israel’s Crimes in Gaza
Ömer Çelik, the Deputy Chairman and Spokesperson of Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party), issued a statement in response to the controversial remarks of Mike Huckabee, the US Ambassador to Israel, strongly condemning his positions.
On his personal social media account, Çelik referred to the US Ambassador’s statements, which supported the actions of the Netanyahu government in Gaza, describing this approach as “inhumane and terrible.”
In his statement, he rejected any right or sovereignty of Israel over the occupied Palestinian territories and other occupied Arab lands, deeming any threat against the sovereignty of brotherly Arab countries as illegitimate. Çelik emphasized that actions such as the annexation of the West Bank or its separation from Gaza constitute a clear example of “in-place genocide.”
Referring to the expansion of settlements in the occupied territories as an aggressive act, Çelik stated: “The US Ambassador’s support for the Netanyahu government’s killing of children in Gaza is not only inhumane but also a defense of the so-called ‘Greater Israel’ project with a theo-political approach, aiming to seize the lands of Arab countries. These positions are in complete contradiction with the fundamental principles of international law and human values.”
He warned that attempting to replace international law with bigoted and theological claims would have severe consequences for the entire region.
Çelik then referred to the repeated warnings of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, at the United Nations General Assembly, saying: “Our President has been asking this question from the UN podium for years: ‘Where are the borders of Israel?’ Today, every development shows how pertinent and accurate these warnings have been.”
Emphasizing that defending the killing of children is itself an instance of murder and genocide, he described the occupation of Palestinian homes and lands in Gaza and the West Bank as part of a policy of genocide and an attack on all human values.
Çelik described the fight against this mentality as a struggle for humanity and characterized resistance against this brutality as a human and political duty. In conclusion, he reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to defending the establishment of an independent and united Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders, stating: “Fighting the genocidal mentality is defending civilization and humanity. Turkey, by standing at the forefront of humanity’s alliance against this practice, is on the right and just side of history. The question that everyone must ask today in the name of peace, justice, and humanity is the same historical question: Where are the borders of Israel?”
