The recent attack on the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza reportedly resulted in the death of as many as 500 civilians, most of them women and children. This massacre is a human tragedy and crime against humanity.
We as the Kurdish National Congress (KNK) strongly condemn this and all other attacks from both sides against civilians. Attacks on civilian areas, such as hospitals, schools, and other civilian areas are against international law, conventions, and moral principles. As the besieged and occupied people of Kurdistan, we are well aware of the pain and consequences of such attacks on health institutions and other civilian infrastructure. As for years the Kurds have faced such attacks from occupying states like Turkey and others.
But history has unequivocally shown that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict cannot be resolved through violence. The problem, which is now seen as a war between Hamas and Israel, is deepening due to the different geopolitical interests of the peripheral states involved. Unfortunately, the suffering of the Palestinian people is being weaponized and exploited by some regimes for their political benefit, as was evident in the attack on the hospital. The most glaring example is the hypocritical policy of the Erdoğan regime in Turkey, who still considers Palestine a former vassal region of the Ottoman Empire, and he, their de-facto Sultan.
The disingenuous hypocrisy of Erdoğan is evident in the fact that all of the military actions he is condemning when committed by Israel against the Palestinians, are actions that he himself is carrying out right now across Rojava / Western Kurdistan in northern Syria. Such shameless hypocrisy may work in Turkey where all dissenting journalists are jailed, but thankfully outside of Ankara’s censorship and control, we see that Turkey has been bombing electrical plants, water facilities, hospitals, oil refineries, and schools for several weeks across Rojava. So, the false tears that Erdoğan is now shedding for Gaza should require him to lift up a mirror and see that his war crimes emulate those he is denouncing.
For a lasting peaceful solution in Palestine and Israel we call on all sides to reject a policy of circular destruction and solve these conflicts through political negotiation and dialogue.
If the Kurdish and Palestinian issues are not resolved at the negotiation table, there will be no peace and stability in the Middle East.
Executive Council of the KNK
October 18, 2023
