A street interview with a veteran Turkish soldier has drawn attention online for his comparison between Israel’s actions in Gaza to that of Turkey’s actions in Syria and Iraq.
“We also did what was done in Palestine; We crushed the people…” the man said, speaking to a pro-government news agency Yeni Safak, an independent news agency reporting from Turkey.
The interviewee said he had served for the Turkish Armed Forces in Syria and Iraq and carried out operations in the Kurdish-majority southeast of Turkey.
“I’m a veteran soldier and have been to Syria and north Iraq and the east [of Turkey], and done the military duty there. As a person who knows war, it should be talked out at the table.”
The ex-soldier commented on the policy of war, stating, “everyone does it […] We did too. We have oppressed and swatted people over there.”
The Turkish Republic’s Centenary last year marked one hundred years of oppression for the Kurdish people, as their homeland Kurdistan was split between four nation-states of Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq. The militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was established in the 1970s as a legitimate counterpart of a civil war fighting for self-determination, as ruled by a top Belgian court, though has been banned under diplomatic pressure in many European countries.
Turkey has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity over its cross-border military ‘anti-terror’ operations against the PKK movement. Over the past few months ariel bombardments in northern Syria have ramped up, targeting civilians and humanitarian infrastructure. A major incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan, parts of which are already occupied by Turkey, is imminent, causing widespread displacement.Turkey has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity over its cross-border military ‘anti-terror’ operations against the PKK movement. Over the past few months ariel bombardments in northern Syria have ramped up, targeting civilians and humanitarian infrastructure. A major incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan, parts of which are already occupied by Turkey, is imminent, causing widespread displacement.
In Turkey, oppression against the Kurdish population continues, from the peak of violence in the 1990s seeing extrajudicial killings, massacres and cultural genocide. Furthermore, Turkey has been condemned on the international stage for its dire human rights record and failure to comply with European Court of Human Rights rulings.
Turkish President Erdoğan has been a vocal supporter of Hamas, the militant group in control of Gaza, and placed an embargo on Israel over its war in Gaza, though trade continues. While the United Nations (UN) Security Council on Monday endorsed a ceasefire plan between Israel and Hamas, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has since signalled serious issues with implementation.
Israel has continued to carry out strikes in the Gaza strip even after the deal was agreed, adding to the more than 37,000 civilians killed over the eight-month conflict.
The Palestinian cause for self-determination, after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1947 forced the Arab population into small enclaves including the Gaza Strip, has frequently been compared to that of the Kurdish cause. Israel’s bombardment of the densely populated Gaza Strip since October has been condemned worldwide as Genocide.
