TKP delegation visits Lebanon: They narrowly escaped an attack!

Hazal Güven - 12punto.com.tr

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) visited Lebanon between November 4-6, following the spillover of the regional war into Lebanon. The visit to the Lebanese Communist Party was carried out by TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan and Party Council members Mehmet İnam and Yiğit Günay. Journalist Musa Özuğurlu also accompanied the TKP delegation to Lebanon to follow the program.

On Monday, November 4, the TKP delegation met with General Secretary Hanna Gharib and party officials at the Lebanese Communist Party's headquarters in the capital, Beirut. During the meeting, which lasted approximately 2 hours, Kemal Okuyan and Hanna Gharib consulted on developments in both Turkey and Lebanon.

Following an analysis of the political situation, the General Secretaries of the two countries' communist parties evaluated steps that could be taken together in Turkey and Lebanon to strengthen support for the resistance against Israel. The two parties decided to work together to increase cooperation and coordination between communist and revolutionary actors in the region and to ensure the flow of accurate information regarding events in Palestine and Lebanon.

On Tuesday, November 5, the delegation visited two centers of the Lebanese Communist Party's People's Relief Association in the towns of Barja, located south of Beirut, and Safar, located to the east.

During a period in which approximately 1 million 300 thousand people have been displaced, the People's Relief Association has established shelters for families forced to leave their homes in 22 centers across the country, such as those in Barja and Safar. The TKP delegation spoke with families who had arrived from Southern Lebanon at the two centers, conducted a situation assessment with the administrative and health personnel working there, and exchanged views on what steps could be taken to increase solidarity.

THEY NARROWLY ESCAPED THE ATTACK

The Israeli airstrike on Barja on November 5 occurred immediately after the TKP delegation left the town, and 30 people were killed in the attack.

On the afternoon of the same day, the TKP delegation visited the Mar Elias Palestinian camp. The delegation attended separate meetings there with representatives of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The political and military situation in Palestine and the region was evaluated during the meetings.

On the evening of November 5, the TKP delegation held a meeting with the management of the People's Relief Association. The delegation, which listened to technical details about the association's work, evaluated needs and potential channels for solidarity.

On November 6, after being a guest on the LKP's Voice of the People Radio, TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan held a joint press conference with LKP General Secretary Hanna Gharib.

Stating that the TKP delegation visited the refugee shelters in the towns of Barja and Safar and saw the situation on the ground firsthand, Gharib said, "After our comrades completed their visit to Barja and left the town, Israel carried out an airstrike on the town. Dozens of people lost their lives. The fact that our comrades from Turkey visited Lebanon under these conditions and risked all dangers carries great meaning and should be an example to all revolutionary forces in the world."

Pointing out that many actors in the world public opinion have expressed demands for a ceasefire, Gharib said, "Those who want a ceasefire in Palestine today, those who want peace, must provide weapons to the Lebanese people. Both the Palestinian people and the Lebanese people have the right to resist. The equivalent of wanting a ceasefire is to provide weapons to the Lebanese people."

'THIS WAR IS BETWEEN THE RICH AND THE POOR'

Then, TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan took the floor. Okuyan said the following:

"Of course, we are here for solidarity. But we must not overlook this. We are all part of the same struggle in the world. Today, the specific situation in Palestine and Lebanon is the highest level of embodiment of Israeli attacks and the global order of barbarism. The struggle and resistance in Palestine and Lebanon are not separate from our struggle; they are the front line of our struggle."

Stating that the ongoing war is not between religions, Okuyan said, "This conflict is essentially between the powers that rule the world and the rest of the world, the poor. It is between the poor and the rich. There is not a single country in the world that sincerely stands by the Lebanese and Palestinian people. None of them, including the Turkish government, which criticizes Israel when it comes to talk, lift a finger for the Palestinian and Lebanese people. Why? Because their interests are on the side of Israel. On the side of money. The money is in Israel."

Stating, "As my comrade Hanna said, our only way out is a common struggle," the TKP General Secretary emphasized that no capital center would stand by the Palestinian and Lebanese people, but if peoples around the world, in Europe and the USA, raise their voices, their governments might be forced to step back from their support for Israel.

"However, the struggle waged so far is not enough. It is not enough in Turkey either. Erdoğan constantly insults Netanyahu, but Turkey's relations with Israel continue. We communists always say, look at the facts, not the words. In our country, the government continues its economic relations with Israel in one way or another; most importantly, the oil sent from Azerbaijan to Israel passes through Turkey, is loaded and shipped from Turkey's ports. The Israeli jets that bomb Gaza or bombed Barja yesterday are flying with Azeri fuel coming from Turkey."

Stating that this hypocrisy must be fought, Okuyan said, "That is why we should not be thanked for our visit; we should thank the Lebanese people for the war and resistance they are waging."

'WE ARE FACED WITH THE TASK OF STOPPING THIS BARBARIC ATTACK'

Expressing that although their visit was limited to three days, they witnessed and learned a lot, Okuyan said, "When we return to our country, we will reconsider our ideas on how we can support the struggle in Lebanon and Palestine."

"As I said at the beginning, we see all of this as our own struggle. All communist parties are patriotic. There is not a single communist party in history that has not been part of the resistance when a foreign occupying power set foot in its country. This is our red line. Our party, the TKP, was founded in 1920 during the years of occupation. Our party's first leaders and first cadres lost their lives in this struggle. Lebanese communists love Lebanon, their homeland. We also love Turkey, our homeland. But we are internationalists; we care about other peoples as well. We dream of a world, a humanity without inequality, imperialism, and exploitation. But this is a long-term goal. Today, we are faced with the task of stopping this barbaric attack."

Stating that they will strengthen their relations with the Lebanese Communist Party and do everything in their power to support the resistance in Palestine and Lebanon, Okuyan said, "Finally, I would like to thank all our comrades on the ground here one by one. It is not an easy task to organize a visit by a foreign delegation in such difficult times. They did an excellent job."

At the end of the press conference, Okuyan presented a photograph taken at a demonstration held in Turkey, where the flags of Turkey, Lebanon, and Palestine were carried together, as a gift on behalf of the TKP.

News Source: 12punto