Mahmoud Abbas spoke at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey: 'I will go to Gaza and Jerusalem with all my brothers'

The extraordinary meeting on 'Palestine' at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) has begun with the participation of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is attending the session at the TBMM General Assembly Hall. The session opened with a speech by TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş.

Abbas's speech will be simultaneously translated into Turkish, English, and French.

Addressing the world at the Special Session on Palestine at the TBMM, Palestinian President Abbas said the following in his speech:

"President of Turkey Erdoğan, TBMM Speaker Kurtulmuş, esteemed deputies, distinguished guests, may the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.

'WE BELIEVE THIS PLAGUE WILL COME TO AN END'

I come from blessed Palestine, from Jerusalem. I come with the message of my people who are experiencing great pain. I come with the message of my people who have been living through the catastrophe since '48. My people are waging a struggle against the occupying Israel, clinging to their national rights while deprived of justice. We believe that Allah will crown our struggle with victory and that this plague will come to an end.

'A FATIHA FOR THE SOULS OF HANIYEH AND THE MARTYRS'

I want to begin my words by praying for mercy for our tens of thousands of martyrs. I want to begin by commemorating those who were martyred in Palestine due to Israeli attacks and genocide. The latest of these was the crime committed against Haniyeh. And I invite you, my very dear brothers, to recite a Fatiha for the souls of Haniyeh and the martyrs.

'WE APPRECIATE TURKEY'S LEADERSHIP'

I salute all the deputies for defending the cause of our people. This issue is at the center of your attention. You are standing with Palestine against the war crimes and genocide committed against it. For the sake of Allah, I ask, how can the international community remain silent about the massacre that the Israeli occupying state carries out every day in Gaza, including in schools where more than a hundred martyrs were given? We appreciate the leadership of Turkey under Erdoğan and congratulate him. I congratulate all the parties in Turkey that condemn these heinous crimes. I thank the brotherly Turkish people who support the Palestinian people with their sincere feelings.

'I COMMEND TURKEY FOR JOINING THE CASE AT THE HAGUE'

I commend Turkey for joining the case at The Hague. Likewise, it stopped trade with Israel; it halted 10 billion dollars of trade to support the Palestinian people. The Palestinian cause has become a primary issue in Turkey, which is an indicator of the morality of the Turkish people.

Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, the goal of the genocide in Gaza is to uproot the Palestinian presence from our homeland and to displace our people. They want to repeat the same tragedy, but this will not happen. No matter how hard they try, this will not come to pass. Our people are attached to their holy land and will expel the occupiers there.

'THE TRUE PURPOSE OF THE GENOCIDE IS TO DESTROY PALESTINE'

The true purpose of the genocide is to destroy Palestine. Since October 7, 40,000 people have been martyred. There are 10,000 missing and 80,000 wounded. Despite this, we will continue to stand tall. In this context, we appreciate the positions of Egypt and Jordan. These positions are in complete alignment with ours. Gaza is an inseparable, essential part of the Palestinian state. There cannot be another state in Gaza; there cannot be a Palestinian state without Gaza.

'THESE CRIMES DO NOT EXPIRE WITH TIME'

Our people will not break and will not surrender. We will carry out the reconstruction of Gaza. Even if more than 70 percent of it is destroyed, we will do it. With the support of the Ummah, we will build our state with East Jerusalem as its capital. This will be done at any cost. No matter how long it takes, we will do it. The murderers will not escape from their war crimes. These crimes do not expire with time. They will undoubtedly be held to account.

'WE WILL NOT ALLOW THEM'

We will continue with international organizations. We will also continue to work with the UN Security Council. Our people, with their epic resistance, are not only defending their rights but are also on the front lines to defend the Arabs against the expansionist and greedy Zionist movement that wants to dominate the region. We will not allow them.

'WE KNOW JERUSALEM'S PLACE IN THE HEARTS OF THE TURKISH PEOPLE'

We all know very well that Jerusalem has a special place in your hearts as well. It is out of the question for us to compromise on this. We know Jerusalem's place in the hearts of the Turkish people. Jerusalem is our first Qibla, Al-Aqsa Mosque is our first Qibla. Jerusalem is a red line for you and for us. Anyone who gives up even a particle of Palestine is neither from us nor from you. This place is a trust left to us by religion and history.

Today, 40 percent of Jews, including Jews in the US, see Israel as the culprit. Humanity is taking a firm stand against hostility.

In such a situation, international organizations cannot remain silent against the torture and starvation policies carried out by Israel. They must react to stop them as soon as possible.

'10 THOUSAND PEOPLE ARE HELD PRISONER IN ISRAEL'

10,000 men and women are held prisoner in Israel. We will continue to work sincerely for the unity of our country.

Our internal discussions are ongoing. The faster we establish reconciliation, the faster we will reach victory.

'THE WAY TO REACH VICTORY IS NATIONAL UNITY'

The most powerful way to reach victory is national unity. We want to thank our friends for reaching this virtuous result. It is not possible for us to be at ease until we achieve national reconciliation. How beautiful it is to have a parliament speaker and deputies from different parties. I thank Turkey; it has sent tens of thousands of tons of aid to Gaza.

'I THANK ALL FRIENDS WITH A CONSCIENCE'

Turkey accepted Palestinians in its hospitals. They defended Palestine's rights by maintaining a presence in every field. They stood against disinformation. Especially Netanyahu's lie in Congress will neither be the first nor the last. I thank all my friends with a conscience once again.

'NO SANE PERSON BELIEVES ISRAEL'S LIES'

No sane person believes Israel's lies. The relevant UN bodies have recently found Israel guilty and have found Israel guilty for the attacks that have resulted in more than 150,000 martyrs.

'14 COUNTRIES SAY STOP THE WAR, THE US USES ITS VETO POWER'

The Palestinian people have been left homeless and landless. Despite this, the US has used its veto power. Exactly 3 times... Where the whole world says stop to Israel's hostile attacks, the US comfortably uses its veto power. In return, 14 countries say stop the war.

'AL-QUDS AL-SHARIF IS THE ETERNAL CAPITAL OF PALESTINE'

Israel is trying to remove the Gaza Strip from the Palestine Liberation Organization. Al-Quds Al-Sharif is the eternal capital of Palestine. The Palestinian people, with all their segments, cannot accept the presence of the Israeli occupation on even an inch of land in Gaza. Our priority today is to stop Israeli aggression by any means necessary and to remove Israel from our lands. And again, we are against the displacement of Palestinians from their lands in 1948 and 1967. The activities of the occupying forces must be stopped.

'80 RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED COULD NOT BE IMPLEMENTED DUE TO THE US POSITION'

There are 80 resolutions adopted so far, but not even one could be implemented due to the US position. Military methods will not bring results. Methods based on the legitimate rights of Palestine can bring peace. It is not right for Israel to turn to partial solutions.

'GAZA IS ENTIRELY OURS'

Gaza is entirely ours. Like the West Bank and Jerusalem, they are also ours. We do not say yes to a solution that fragments our lands, even by an inch. Therefore, I want to announce something here in your presence; we have no solution left before us. I have decided to go to Gaza with my brothers in the Palestinian leadership, and I will do this. My life is not more valuable than the life of any child who died in Gaza.

'EITHER VICTORY OR MARTYRDOM'

We are applying the rule of Islam: Either victory or martyrdom... I am speaking here in this position, on an international platform. I call on all Arab and Islamic leaders, and UN officials, to fulfill this humanitarian duty together. If the goal is peace, we say let's do it. I also call on the Security Council, I address the council that issued the 80 resolutions that were not implemented: I want to say that after Gaza, we will turn to Al-Quds Al-Sharif. I will go to our eternal capital.

'WE ARE WORKING FOR FURTHER RECOGNITION OF PALESTINE'

We are working day and night for further recognition of Palestine. 149 states have recognized us. 50 states have recognized them. We will continue this. The latest was Armenia. We will continue to work for such recognitions to continue. We want to achieve full membership in the UN. We have a population of 14 million. In 2012, we managed to get observer member status in the General Assembly. Even then, the US had done its best to prevent this, but it had failed. We have managed to become a party to more than 120 agreements. We will join others as well; this is our right."

TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş stated the following in his remarks:

"Today, we are hosting a historic session here as the TBMM. Shortly, Abbas will address you here, and through his speech here, he will have the opportunity to explain Palestine to the whole world once again.

We are one of the rare countries that have displayed a joint stance of support for the Palestinian cause as a state and a nation. Under the leadership of our Presidency, our country continues to struggle against Israel with all the power at its disposal.

Turkey has not remained indifferent to the crimes against humanity committed by the Netanyahu government in Israel. I respectfully commemorate all the mujahideen who have been subjected to all kinds of oppression and torture in Palestine for decades but have not given up the struggle and have resisted. I commemorate the struggle of all the mujahideen, in the person of Yasser Arafat and Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, with mercy and gratitude.

Furthermore, I respectfully commemorate each of the Gaza martyrs, whose numbers have exceeded 40,000 since October 7. We once again invite the world, which watches innocent people being torn from life, to take responsibility.

I commemorate all the martyrs with gratitude, in the person of Ismail Haniyeh, the first elected Prime Minister of Gaza. His stance, which has gone down in human history, is the fortitude he showed after his 3 children and 4 grandchildren were martyred. Haniyeh, who said, 'The blood of my children and grandchildren is not more valuable than the blood of Palestinian children and women,' had his son also challenge the whole world by saying, 'My father's blood is not more important than the blood of Palestinians.'