MPs desert Israel group
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hurriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 31, 2008 00:00
ANKARA - Many parliamentarians resigned from their posts at the National Assembly’s Turkish-Israeli Caucus in protest of the recent Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip. Even with half of the members gone, the remaining members still condemn the Israeli attacks
Turkish deputies protested the Israeli military offensive in Gaza by resigning from the Turkish-Israeli Caucus in Parliament on Tuesday.
"Group members numbering 136 out of a total of 300, resigned after the attacks," chair of the Caucus, Justice and Development Party, or AKP, deputy Nursuna Memecan said in a press conference.
"We continue to exist as the administration board. The reaction we have inside is big and evident in the resignations. However, holding the post and performing our task is more important," she said.
Turkish group to present Palestinian case to PACE
Memecan condemned the attacks and said killing children and women in the Gaza Strip was incompatible with any religious belief, including Islam and Judaism.
"I call on all countries in the world and international organizations to cooperate, to warn Israel and send the necessary humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people," Memecan added and urged Israel to stop the attacks.
Meanwhile, the Turkish group at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, or PACE, announced they would carry the Israeli offensive to the PACE agenda.
"We will demand an urgent session," head of the Turkish group, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said.
AKP Antalya deputy, Yusuf Ziya İrbeç, said they would take other initiatives to the British Parliament, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate in order to push for widespread pressure on Israel for a cease-fire.
"The Israeli offensive broke our hand, which we had put forward in friendship. We will convey this message to our colleagues at the Caucus in Israel as well," AKP Ağrı deputy, Hanifi Alır, said.
Similar resignations and protests took place in Turkish Parliament during Israel’s attack in Lebanon in 2006.
"When Israel attacked Lebanon, many deputies from the Caucus resigned. We continued our duty as the administration board and condemned the incident. We thought that we could contribute to peace in the Middle East," the term’s chair of the friendship group, AKP deputy Vahit Kirişçi, said, speaking to Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review. He also said it was important to maintain relations at such times.
Turkish aid already set off for the Gaza Strip
Kızılay, or Turkish Red Crescent, trucks carrying humanitarian aid set off to Gaza on Tuesday. "Ten trucks full of aid materials, including tents, blankets and 11,000 food packages, will reach Gaza through Syria," head of the Turkish Red Crescent Aid Committee, Erden Duruk, said Tuesday.
"We try to share the Palestinian people’s pain. We have sent humanitarian aid worth YTL 18,750 to many countries, particularly to Palestine, since 1996. Our aid will continue," he said.
"Group members numbering 136 out of a total of 300, resigned after the attacks," chair of the Caucus, Justice and Development Party, or AKP, deputy Nursuna Memecan said in a press conference.
"We continue to exist as the administration board. The reaction we have inside is big and evident in the resignations. However, holding the post and performing our task is more important," she said.
Turkish group to present Palestinian case to PACE
Memecan condemned the attacks and said killing children and women in the Gaza Strip was incompatible with any religious belief, including Islam and Judaism.
"I call on all countries in the world and international organizations to cooperate, to warn Israel and send the necessary humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people," Memecan added and urged Israel to stop the attacks.
Meanwhile, the Turkish group at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, or PACE, announced they would carry the Israeli offensive to the PACE agenda.
"We will demand an urgent session," head of the Turkish group, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said.
AKP Antalya deputy, Yusuf Ziya İrbeç, said they would take other initiatives to the British Parliament, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate in order to push for widespread pressure on Israel for a cease-fire.
"The Israeli offensive broke our hand, which we had put forward in friendship. We will convey this message to our colleagues at the Caucus in Israel as well," AKP Ağrı deputy, Hanifi Alır, said.
Similar resignations and protests took place in Turkish Parliament during Israel’s attack in Lebanon in 2006.
"When Israel attacked Lebanon, many deputies from the Caucus resigned. We continued our duty as the administration board and condemned the incident. We thought that we could contribute to peace in the Middle East," the term’s chair of the friendship group, AKP deputy Vahit Kirişçi, said, speaking to Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review. He also said it was important to maintain relations at such times.
Turkish aid already set off for the Gaza Strip
Kızılay, or Turkish Red Crescent, trucks carrying humanitarian aid set off to Gaza on Tuesday. "Ten trucks full of aid materials, including tents, blankets and 11,000 food packages, will reach Gaza through Syria," head of the Turkish Red Crescent Aid Committee, Erden Duruk, said Tuesday.
"We try to share the Palestinian people’s pain. We have sent humanitarian aid worth YTL 18,750 to many countries, particularly to Palestine, since 1996. Our aid will continue," he said.