BDS Turkey (Filistin için Israil’e Boykot Girisimi) organized a political seminar on Tuesday, January 26 in Istanbul to examine political developments in Palestine and the region, convened at the headquarters of the Syndicate of Mechanical Engineers, featuring Comrade Khaled Barakat, Palestinian leftist writer; BDS Turkey member and researcher Selim Sezer and writer Fehim Tastekin.
The event was opened by Ayse Duzkan, noting that the event took place on the anniversary of the death of Comrade Dr. George Habash, Al-Hakim, and presenting an overview of the vision of BDS Turkey.
In his speech, Khaled Barakat reviewed the current situation in Palestine, in particular the systematic Israeli occupation attacks on the West Bank and the emerging dynamic of the “third intifada” since October 2015. In particular, he noted that the Oslo so-called “peace process” reaped no rewards for the Palestinian people, and that instead the colonization project of the settlements has only escalated dramatically and continuously, that there are thousands of Palestinian prisoners in occupation jails, noting that the rising of the youth is a response to and confrontation of the Oslo process as a tool of the occupation forces.
Barakat pointed out th
at this uprising is a response to the imposition of “facts on the ground” by the occupier by force of arms and racist laws, taking advantage of the dead end of settlement and negotiations to build the racist annexation wall, confiscate massive amounts of land and further intensify its system of military occupation and settler-colonial apartheid, as well as implementing policies of “Israelization” and “Judaization” designed to erase Palestinian existence and identiy, especially in occupied Jerusalem.
Barakat noted the successive wars waged by the Zionist state against the Gaza Strip and the ongoing siege as an attempt to liquidate the Palestinian resistance, noting the displacement, impoverishment and marginalization of Palestinians in Gaza. They have been prevented from rebuilding, confronted time and again with imposed and deliberately created crises of electricity and water; Barakat noted that all of these circumstances are part of the growing Palestinian public anger at the occupation.
Barakat also noted the collapse of all illusions about the so-called “two-state solution,” noting that the solution in Palestine is to end the occupation and colonial domination over the entire land of Palestine, to ensure the return of Palestinian refugees and the establishment of a democratic Palestine on the entire Palestinian land.
Salim Sezer of BDS Turkey emphasized that the organization is part of a global movement that aims to isolate the racist Israeli state and force it to recognize Palestinian rights, and that it also emphasizes the implementation of the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland and an end to apartheid and occupation in Palestine.
He addressed the Turkey-Israel normalization process currently taking place, saying that Turkey should have no relationship at all with a racist settler colonial state built on the expulsion of the Palestinian people, but that there has been an ongoing and strengthening economic relationship between Turkey and Israel in recent years despite political disputes.
He reviewed aspects of the potential agreement between the Turkish and Israeli states, noting that it would include the labelling of Palestinian gas as “Israeli gas” and the deportation of representatives of the Palestinian resistance. Furthermore, he noted that such an agreement would only underline Turkey’s role as a forward base of imperialism, part of a reactionary triangle of Turkey, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Turkish writer Fehim Tastekin discussed the impact of war on Palestinians in Syria, noting that historically, Palestinian refugees in Syria have had more rights and a much higher level of integration into the economy and society than in countries such as Lebanon.
He relayed his personal imperssions from visiting the Palestinian refugee camps in Syria and Lebanon, particularly over the past five years, and the forced displacement of Palestinians in Syria due to the ongoing war, whether displacement to Europe, to Lebanon, or internal displacement.
He noted that despite the crisis, Palestinians have not lost their vision and commitment to return to Palestine.
He noted that Palestinian refugees from Syria are discriminated against by Turkish official policy; unlike Syrians from Syria, they are denied access without a visa, and if they do travel to Turkey, they are not treated equally to other Syrian refugees.
The event concluded with public questions and answers on the comments of the speakers.
Source: pflp.ps
