According to the Anadolu agency, Türkiye’s Communications Director Burhanettin Duran drew on centuries of history on Wednesday as he warned against Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian land, saying that rulers who sought to claim Jerusalem through force were eventually undone by their own arrogance.
“This blessed city has witnessed the downfall of many arrogant figures who claimed it belonged only to them,” Duran said during the “Gaza: The Litmus Test of Humanity” panel hosted by the Directorate of Communications in Ankara.
In his remarks, Duran accused Israel of turning Palestinian lives into daily tragedy, pointing to decades of occupation and recent attacks that have devastated Gaza. “By turning Palestinian babies’ cradles into coffins,” he said, “Israel has tested all of humanity while also threatening regional peace with attacks on neighboring countries.”
The comments come amid staggering losses in Gaza, where nearly 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children have been killed since October 2023, according to local health authorities. Entire neighborhoods lie in ruins, and humanitarian agencies say the enclave is now uninhabitable, with famine and disease spreading rapidly. On Tuesday, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a judgment that has intensified calls for accountability.
Duran said Israel’s “genocidal policies and expansionism” pose a danger not only to Palestinians but to stability across the Middle East and beyond. “With its genocidal policies and expansionism, Israel has become a threat to regional and global peace. The international community must now act,” he urged.
He highlighted Ankara’s aid efforts, noting that Türkiye has delivered more than 100,000 tons of humanitarian supplies to Gaza and contributed over $40 million to UNRWA despite Israeli restrictions. Türkiye, he stressed, continues to advocate for a permanent ceasefire, urgent humanitarian access, and international recognition of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Duran also praised Turkish media for what he called a vital role in countering Israeli narratives. Anadolu, he said, has produced nearly 144,000 reports in 13 languages, alongside hundreds of thousands of photos and videos documenting the war, materials also presented as evidence in international courts. By contrast, he accused Western outlets of biased coverage and claimed Israel relies on “lies, disinformation, and algorithmic censorship” to obscure the reality in Gaza. See, More, Here>>>>
For Duran, the lesson from history is clear: those who try to claim Jerusalem through oppression may succeed temporarily, but in time, their downfall becomes inevitable.
