Our Head of the Department of International Relations, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Çağla Gül Yesevi, commented on Israel's attacks on Gaza to Demirören News Agency (DHA).
Stating that the attacks launched by Israel on Gaza on October 7, 2023, had very serious consequences, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Çağla Gül Yesevi said, “Even before October 7, Gaza was under Israeli blockade. Gaza can be seen as an open-air prison. Israel violates the law of war, international law, and humanitarian law. Civilians are being killed, and Palestinians are being tested with hunger and poverty. We are witnessing a huge massacre.”
Prof. Dr. Yesevi said, “The Palestinian territories consist of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. In 1988, the state of Palestine was declared and is today recognised by 146 of the 193 member states of the United Nations. It was granted ‘non-member observer state’ status at the United Nations General Assembly on November 29, 2012. However, the territorial integrity of the Palestinian state is still in question. Hamas controls the Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian Authority controls the West Bank. The West Bank is divided into Areas A, B, and C and remains under Israeli control. In Palestinian areas, the demographic structure has been destroyed by Jewish settlements encouraged by Israel. Israel has not accepted the two-state solution. After 1948, Palestinians were confined to 22 percent of their land and could not claim more after 1967, but now, with illegal settlers, their area of control has been reduced to 18 percent. On October 7, Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, attacked first with rockets and then by crossing the border, killing 1,200 Israelis. In the Israeli attacks that started afterwards, the Palestinian casualties are increasing every day. At the time of writing, the number of Palestinians killed was 41,825. I should mention that 17,000 of them were children and more than 11,000 were women.”
“War Has Spread in the Region”
Describing the process after October 7 as ‘We are witnessing a huge massacre’, our professor said the following about Israel's actions within a year:
“Israel violates the law of war, international law, and humanitarian law. Civilians are being killed, and Palestinians are being tested with hunger and poverty. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stated that they would apply a complete blockade on Gaza with the following words: “No electricity, no food, no fuel, everything will be out of use.” For Palestinians, there is nowhere to flee, and they are being killed daily by bombs. There are unaccompanied children missing in Gaza, their parents dead. Houses, kindergartens, schools, hospitals, mosques, media organisations, and refugee camps were hit by Israeli bombardment. The offices of the United Nations, the guardian of peace, were hit, and its officials were killed. The freedom of the media was ignored, and members of the media were also shot. Israeli attacks were not limited to Gaza. Israel has also attacked the West Bank, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. Iran, with its proxy forces, is actively participating in this process. It resulted from Israel's attack on the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, the assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh and Hassan Nasrallah, and Iran's intervention in Israel with rockets and kamikaze UAVs on April 13 and October 1, 2024. War is expanding in the region, Israel is bombing Hezbollah from the air.”
“The US Must Say ‘Stop’ to Civilian Deaths”
Prof. Dr. Yesevi summarised the approach of Islamic countries after the war in the past year as follows:
“The Hamas attacks of October 7 had serious consequences. The Israeli attacks that followed once again forced Palestinians to flee their homes, destroyed their communities, and caused tens of thousands of casualties. Palestine was the main agenda of the Arab-Israeli conflict for many years. Many Arab-Israeli wars took place in this regard. However, especially with the Abrahamic Treaties of 2020, this unity on the ‘Palestinian issue’ disappeared. Palestine has become isolated; the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia have normalised their relations with Israel. Netanyahu's ‘favour map’ is an important indicator. In this sense, the Islamic world is not one body and one voice behind Palestine, and states act according to their national interests. Türkiye and Iran have embraced the issue. Qatar and Egypt have made efforts for peace. However, they could not be effective. In order to solve this problem, the US must say ‘stop’ to civilian deaths. Unless an initiative is taken in this respect, peace is unlikely to come. I must emphasise that the most valuable contribution came from South Africa. The Republic of South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice on the grounds of ‘committing genocide against the Palestinian people’, and Türkiye requested to intervene in the case.”
“The UN Resolutions are Advisory”
Noting that the problematic structure of the United Nations Security Council and the fact that the five permanent members have the right of veto cause Israel's unlawful and cruel behaviour to be condoned, our professor stated that a draft resolution was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024, demanding Israel to end its ‘unlawful presence’ in Gaza and the West Bank within 1 year, but the decisions taken at the United Nations General Assembly are advisory and are not binding. Prof. Dr. Yesevi summarised the United Nations' handling of the process over the past year:
“A state subjected to armed aggression has the right of defence until the United Nations Security Council takes action. However, Israel has used excessive, disproportionate, and unlawful use of force. It disregarded the emergency ceasefire decision taken by the United Nations Security Council. Under the laws of war, Israel was obliged to refrain from behaviour that would cause unnecessary pain and suffering, to treat prisoners, the sick, the wounded, and the civilian population humanely, and to work for the establishment of peace. But none of these were considered. The problematic structure of the United Security Council and the veto power of the five permanent members led to Israel's unruly and cruel behaviour being tolerated. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion that Israel's occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip is illegal and must end as soon as possible. Accordingly, Israel has consistently abused its position as an occupying power. Israel is obliged to compensate the Palestinians for the damage caused, to stop all new Jewish settlement activity, and to evacuate all settlers from the West Bank and East Jerusalem. But these declarations mean nothing to Israel.”
“Responsible Reporting is Very Important”
Prof. Dr. Yesevi also evaluated the content and role of social media in the Israeli-Palestinian war process, noting that the massacre was witnessed on live broadcast, stated that the images in which Israel's right to defence is emphasised even today and the Israeli leader is applauded are watched over and over again. Stating that there is a reporting in which the Palestinian flag is banned, and sharing is blocked, Prof. Dr. Yesevi said, “The most dangerous thing is that the media is broadcasting in a way that looks forward to a new attack. When will Israel attack? When is Iran's counterattack?’ headlines fill the screens. Constantly bringing Israel's attacks to the forefront leads to the image of a stronger state than the existing one. Theological explanations, references to sacred religious texts, and the use of maps of the future create anxiety. In this sense, responsible reporting is very valuable; the media not only presents the news but also constructs the news and the world.”
