The Turkish government is using the Palestinian issue as a bargaining chip to carry out their anti-Kurd policies, the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) claimed in a statement issued on Friday.
The Kurdish umbrella organisation lambasted the Turkish government for its “hypocritical” stance on the Palestinian issue and accused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government of exploiting the Palestinian cause to further their policies against the Kurds. “If the Turkish state and Tayyip Erdoğan were sincere in what they say, first of all, they would not approach the Kurds like this and they would solve the Kurdish question,” the statement read.
The KCK also expressed deep concern over the ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas, calling for an immediate end to the attacks from both sides. “The Palestinian problem cannot be solved through violence, but through democracy and the recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people,” the organisation said.
The statement further elaborated on the concept of a “democratic nation” as proposed by Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). According to the KCK, the problems in the Middle East, including the Palestinian and Kurdish questions, can only be solved by overcoming the “nation-state mentality”.
The Kurdish organisation also highlighted the Turkish government’s recent airstrikes against North and East Syria, stating that the infrastructure in the area was heavily bombed, resulting in the loss of dozens of lives. “Those who do this to the Kurdish people cannot be expected to be sincere towards the Palestinian people and their cause,” the statement concluded.
The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) is an umbrella organisation that encompasses various Kurdish political and militant groups, including the PKK.