Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the attendees at the UN General Assembly, expressing his dissatisfaction that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was barred from coming to New York.
“We stand here before you on behalf of our 86 million citizens and our Palestinian brothers and sisters, whose voices are being silenced. I call on all countries that have not yet done so to recognize the State of Palestine. The purpose of the UN is to support international peace and security. Yet as we speak, Israel is massacring civilians in Gaza. The number of civilians injured in Gaza has exceeded 65,000. Sadly, the number of people trapped under the rubble remains unknown,” said Erdoğan.
He then displayed a photograph from Gaza, emphasizing the human tragedy.
“Each of these people is a human being, innocent individuals. People are not only killed by weapons but also by hunger. In the 21st century, in a world that calls itself civilized, people are dying of starvation. I am showing you a photograph from Gaza: women holding empty pots in their hands. Tell me – is there any justification for this brutality in 2025? This shameful image from Gaza repeats every day. I support the UN Secretary-General for continuously bringing attention to the genocide in Palestine, and I commend him again for his stance. The UN has not even been able to protect its staff in Gaza. People have been killed,” Erdoğan stressed.
The Turkish president added that it is time to respond to Israel’s threats.
“We must understand this: Jerusalem is a holy city for three monotheistic religions. We cannot continue this madness. A ceasefire in Gaza must be established as soon as possible. The attacks must stop. With God’s help, this will happen. Those who remain silent are complicit in this barbarism,” the 71-year-old said.
He called on all government and state leaders to stand with the Palestinian people and humanity.
“As your citizens protest the barbarity in Gaza, show the courage to act here, in this place. This is a policy of genocide, mass killings, implemented under the pretext of the October 7 incident. While Gaza is being destroyed under the justification of Hamas, the West Bank – where Hamas is not in power – is gradually being occupied, and innocent civilians are being massacred. Israel is not limited to Gaza and the West Bank. With all due respect, this is the lowest point of humanity. Human history has not witnessed such a crime in the past century,” Erdoğan concluded.
