Kemal Okuyan speaks at 'Palestine Open Session' meeting

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) held a Palestine Open Session.

TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan said, "The TKP was the first to question the relations that Turkey has maintained and continues to maintain with Israel in the energy, oil, cement, and even defense industries. We will not let this go, because there is also a massive hypocrisy hidden behind religiosity. That is why we say the issue is a class issue. The TKP stands with the Palestinian people not only because they are subjected to cruelty and inhumane practices, but because they resist the power of money with stones, slingshots, and their hearts. And Palestine will eventually win because the owners of that money will eventually be defeated."

The TKP held the Palestine Open Session today at the Ankara Chamber of Mechanical Engineers Education and Culture Center. The opening speech of the session was delivered by TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan.

"THE PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE IS LARGELY THE RESISTANCE OF THE PEOPLE, OF THE POOR"

Okuyan made the following statements:

"The Palestinian issue is not a religious issue, nor does it stem from a conflict between two belief systems between two religions. In this sense, the Palestinian issue is not a clash of civilizations either. The Palestinian issue is not primarily a national issue. Of course, it has a national dimension. Of course, there is a religious dimension, or at least a religious tension on the visible surface. But for the TKP, for Marxists and Communists, the Palestinian issue is primarily a class issue. If it were a religious issue, we could not limit the weight of Judaism in the world to the 15 to 17 million Jews. In the final analysis, it is a belief system of a very small population in the world... And if we are to talk about an ethnic community, their numbers are also quite limited. Judaism has become a capital ideology after a certain point. It has become a reality of capital. Where do Israel and the Jews get their power from today? The answer to the question of why hundreds of millions of Muslims cannot defeat them is a class-based one. When we look at the tension between the Palestinian people and the aggression of the Israeli state, we see a clear class conflict. When we look at the resistance in Palestine today, that resistance is largely the resistance of the people, of the poor."

"THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE IS A RED LINE FOR THE LEFT AND COMMUNISTS IN TURKEY AS WELL"

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people is a class conflict; in the final analysis, Israel is a state planted in the Middle East geography to prevent the imperialist world from facing national awakenings, the awakenings of poor peoples, and most importantly, a turn toward socialism across a wide geography. The reason why countries, which are today predominantly called the Christian world, stand behind Israel is not an alliance between religions, but an alliance carried out for the continuation of imperialist, class-based hegemony. They have their fingers in the Caucasus, not to mention the Middle East. Therefore, we are facing a very well-organized state that leans on wealthy classes. As it is all over the world, the Palestinian issue is a red line for the left, revolutionaries, patriots, and communists in Turkey as well. There is no vacuum in politics; someone was going to take action against the injustices, occupation, and cruelty suffered by the Palestinian people anyway. Massive attacks were orchestrated against revolutionary organizations.

"NO GOOD WILL COME TO THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE FROM HAMAS IN THE LONG RUN, IT IS A RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION AFTER ALL, BUT THEY ARE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE RESISTANCE"

More secular Palestinian organizations became involved in corruption. The fact that religious organizations like Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Palestine, and some religious groups in Iraq have come to the fore in the resistance against the US is a shame for revolutionaries. If you do not fight, others will fill the void. Hezbollah is what it is today because it said in 2006 in Lebanon, a country that had surrendered, 'I do not allow Israeli occupation.' If a country is fighting against occupation, whoever comes to the fore in that struggle gains legitimacy. It is also in the history of communists to always be at the forefront of the struggle against occupation. But unfortunately, religious organizations have come to the fore in the Middle East. If we want to fight them, we should not start by saying 'but Hamas is also a terrorist organization' in the face of Israeli aggression or occupation. When we do that, Hamas gets stronger. Hamas is not a terrorist organization; Hamas's problem is that it is an Islamist organization. But Hamas has currently come to the fore in the Palestinian people's resistance. Support for Hamas in Palestine has increased radically since October 7. Whoever comes to the fore in a resistance against an occupation or a tyrant gains legitimacy. No good will come to the Palestinian people from Hamas in the long run; it is a religious organization after all. But today, religious people are at the forefront of this resistance.

"WE WERE THE FIRST POLITICAL STRUCTURE ON THE LEFT TO CONDEMN ISRAELI CRUELTY AND OCCUPATION"

The TKP is not a social media organization. We do not make an assessment immediately when we encounter an event. We looked at the attack led by Hamas on October 7, examined it, received news from trusted friends living in other countries in this geography, and made a statement. We were the first political structure on the left in Turkey not to say 'Hamas is also a terrorist organization, it is Islamist' regarding this issue, and to condemn Israeli cruelty and occupation. You do not have to support Hamas, but you have to be on the same side as Palestine's resistance. In conditions of occupation, you do not look at who is by your side; you fight against the occupation. What the Communist Party of Israel did is something very respectable. They did not hesitate at all. They said the source of the problem is the Netanyahu government, the state of Israel. No one in Palestine said, 'This is an action Hamas took on its own, we do not stand by it, or we are not part of this resistance.' A significant portion of the left in Europe, which walks around calling itself leftist, supports Israel, and even supports it openly. The communist movement all over the world should be proud that we are not a partner to this shame. Because there is truly a massive psychological war.

"THE TKP STANDS WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE NOT ONLY BECAUSE THEY ARE SUBJECTED TO CRUELTY, BUT BECAUSE THEY RESIST THE POWER OF MONEY WITH STONES AND SLINGSHOTS"

We told our Islamist government that you constantly say you are with Palestine and you engage in diplomacy. Why do you continue relations with Israel in some important sectors where the Israeli state turns its wheels? The TKP was the first to question the relations that Turkey has maintained and continues to maintain with Israel in the energy, oil, cement, and even defense industries. We will not let this go, because there is also a massive hypocrisy hidden behind religiosity. That is why we say the issue is a class issue. The power behind Israel is not related to Judaism. It is the power of money. The TKP stands with the Palestinian people not only because they are subjected to cruelty and inhumane practices, but because they resist the power of money with stones, slingshots, and their hearts. And Palestine will eventually win because the owners of that money will eventually be defeated."

Following Okuyan's opening speech, the open session part began. Retired diplomat and TKP Central Committee Member Engin Solakoğlu, along with journalists and writers Hasan Sivri, Musa Özuğurlu, and Mustafa Kemal Erdemol, spoke here.

News Source: 12punto