02.01.2026 14:01
Bilal Erdoğan, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ilim Yayma Foundation, spoke at the third Palestine rally held at the Galata Bridge. Erdoğan stated, "What is happening in Gaza is not war, it is genocide. We will not be silenced, we will not remain silent, we will not forget Palestine, we will not let it be forgotten. We will continue this struggle until Gaza, Jerusalem, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are free."
The "We Will Not Be Silent, We Will Not Be Silent, We Will Not Forget Palestine" rally, organized by the Humanity Alliance and the National Will Platform with the participation of over 400 civil society organizations to stop the massacre in Palestine, gathered tens of thousands of participants who came together in mosques for the morning prayer and then assembled at the Galata Bridge in processions. On the first day of the new year, Bilal Erdoğan, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ilim Yayma Foundation, addressed the tens of thousands who united for Palestine. In his speech, Erdoğan stated, "What is happening in Gaza is not war, it is genocide. We will continue this struggle until Gaza, Jerusalem, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are free."
Bilal Erdoğan used the following expressions in his speech:
"Dear Istanbulites, may your day be bright. May our new year bring peace to our nation, all Muslims, Palestine, and humanity, inshallah. May God soothe the tears of mothers with tearful eyes. May God give strength and power to all our administrators, especially our President, who work day and night for this nation. May God have mercy on all our martyrs. May He grant patience to their families.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING IN GAZA IS NOT A WAR"
Today, we have gathered here again on the first morning of the new year to shout that what is happening in Gaza and Palestine is not just a humanitarian drama, but also a breaking point that shows the foundations of the global order are shaken, and all international institutions that carry a moral claim have failed. What is happening in Gaza is never a war. It is not a conflict between two armies. What is happening in Gaza is not just a security issue.
"GENOCIDE IS BEING CARRIED OUT THROUGH HUNGER AND THIRST"
What is happening in Gaza is a genocide where a people, with their women, children, and elderly, are being consciously and systematically attempted to be exterminated. This genocide is not only carried out with tens of thousands of tons of bombs. This genocide is being carried out through hunger, thirst, cold, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid.
"MAY OUR LORD DESTROY NETANYAHU WITH HIS GLORIOUS NAME, AL-KAHHAR"
Today, there are people in Palestine living in makeshift tents under harsh winter conditions, deprived of all means, and there is a cruel system that knowingly, willingly, and even with pleasure obstructs aid that could reach these people. May our Lord destroy the bandit Netanyahu, who is at the head of a mentality that makes such degradation possible, with His glorious name, Al-Kahhar.
"A MODERN POLICY OF DESTRUCTION"
Even war has a law. However, let alone the violation of this law in Gaza, this law has been completely disregarded. The Geneva Conventions, which are the West's own agreements, are clear and explicit. Targeting civilians, using disproportionate force, and destroying the living infrastructure are clear war crimes. Moreover, these crimes are not isolated incidents. These crimes are continuous. These crimes are managed by central decisions. And they are managed with the strong support of Israeli citizens, and for this reason, we say: These are not a conflict. These are a modern policy of destruction carried out by state power.
"PALESTINIANS ARE UNFORTUNATELY NOT CONSIDERED HUMANS BY ISRAEL"
Unfortunately, Palestinians are not considered humans by Israel. Think about the stance the world has taken since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War. On one side, there are military, economic, and political embargoes, and on the other side, there is Russia, banned from international sports competitions, song contests, and many events and organizations. A world where even Dostoevsky is banned. On the other side, there is a world intertwined with Netanyahu, the Hitler of the 21st century.
"OUR ISSUE IS WITH THE ZIONIST IDEOLOGY"
This is the point to which Western civilization has fallen, a point of humiliation. Therefore, we must make a distinction. As the Muslim Turkish nation, we, as members of the Humanity Alliance gathered at the Galata Bridge today, have an issue not with a religion, not with a people, but with an ideology. There has not been a Muslim ruler since that day who would distinguish his nation as "This is a member of this religion, that is a member of that religion." Under the shadow of our ancestors who have ruled Jerusalem since Saladin, Muslims, Christians, and Jews have been able to live together in peace and perform their worship side by side. Our issue is with the Zionist ideology that devalues humanity, just like Nazism, and disregards others with a claim of superiority. Today, the whole world must see this: The collective declaration of people as guilty based on their identities, the total punishment of the civilian population, the systematic destruction of living spaces, and the use of hunger and fear as a weapon all remind us of a very dark period in human history. Yes, Zionism today manifests itself as Israeli Nazism, and humanity must confront this Israeli Nazism ideology, and of course, Israel will be crushed under it. In international law, responsibility is not only on the perpetrator but also on those who fail to prevent it when they could. Gaza has been devastated. The cost of this destruction cannot be placed on the victims. The cost of this destruction cannot be passed on to third countries. Those who destroy must repair. Today, we say it again here and will continue to say it on every platform. Israel must be held accountable for its war crimes.
"TURKEY IS NOW A STRONG TURKEY"
The reconstruction of Gaza must be done with the war reparations paid by Israel. Now, the policy being conducted in Gaza with bombs is being continued through settler violence in the West Bank. The settlers armed by Israel, as you know, are targeting the oppressed Palestinians in the West Bank like never before. Therefore, the situation in Gaza and the West Bank is not disconnected; they are not separate. Both are carried out within the same architecture of impunity.
We will not cease our struggle until the occupation in Gaza and the West Bank ends, until Palestinians gain their right to life and freedom in their homeland, and until the territorial integrity of the State of Palestine is recognized, with God's permission. What will Turkey say during this genocide process, including the West? What will Recep Tayyip Erdoğan say? Everyone is of course following.
Because Turkey is now a strong Turkey. Turkey is now a Turkey that stands against oppression, and Turkey is now on the path to becoming the founding mind of the new world order under the leadership of our President. Contrary to the claims of a few dishonorable influence agents, we cut off trade with Israel, even though it was in our favor as a necessity of being human. We maintained our patient but uncompromising stance at the diplomacy table. We took on the responsibility of being a guarantor during the ceasefire process. We became the country that delivered the most humanitarian aid to Gaza, and on every international platform, regardless of who our interlocutor is, we shouted the truth without hesitation or fear. This stance is certainly not a temporary diplomatic reflex. It is a stance that comes from the history of this nation.
"THE TURKISH FLAG IS NOT JUST A SYMBOL"
It comes from conscience, it comes from state wisdom. Our nationalism is never the nationalism of oppressing others. Our nationalism is the morality of standing tall against oppression. The Turkish flag is not just a symbol. That flag carries the color of justice, mercy, and responsibility.
"WE WILL SAY STOP TO OPPRESSION WITH BOYCOTT"
Now, as a nation, with our elderly and young, women and men, we must continue our struggle individually through boycott. We will not underestimate the boycott. We will not say, "What good does it do?" The strongest answer to the question "What am I doing?" will be the boycott. Oppression does not only continue with weapons. It continues with the flow of money. When normalized, it grows and continues. Therefore, we will say stop to the normalization of oppression with boycott. We will say, "I am not a partner in this oppression." Many oppressive regimes in history collapsed by losing their legitimacy. Boycott will achieve this by isolating oppression. Yes, you who are here today have stood on the side of humanity's conscience.
"WE WILL NOT COWER, WE WILL NOT BE SILENT"
Today, together with hundreds of thousands on the Galata Bridge, we are writing this in history: "We will not cower, we will not be silent, we will not forget Palestine, we will not let it be forgotten." Because, as the late Aliya said, "The forgotten genocide is doomed to be repeated." We will not give up our struggle. Until Gaza is free, until Jerusalem is free, we will continue this struggle until Al-Aqsa Mosque is free, inshallah. I want to conclude my words with the verses of the late Arif Nihat Asya. "O my flower that blooms in high places, now weary, waving in the winds, the dove of peace, the eagle of war, I was born under you, I will die at your feet." Our nation, which adopts the horizon in these expressions of the late, has fought to be the dove of peace to the end, but when the situation requires it, when the oppressor insists on oppression, and when the cry of the oppressed shakes the heavens, it has not shied away from being the eagle of war and will not. We remind the whole world of this once again, and I greet you all with respect and affection on this first morning of the year. I entrust you to Allah. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. "