Emine Erdogan: Israel’s attacks on Palestinians are a post-modern Holocaust

Türkiye’s First Lady Emine Erdogan has stressed that Israel’s atrocities in Palestine constitute a "post-modern Holocaust," and are part of a calculated campaign to erase an entire people and their culture from history.

"What we are witnessing in Palestine is not a war. It is an attempt to impose a world order in which only the strongest and cruellest survive, while other lives are easily expendable," Erdogan said in an address at the Doha Forum 2024 in Qatar.

She urged the international community to confront the ongoing violence.

Noting that 44,000 civilians, including 16,000 children, have been killed in Palestine's Gaza during Israeli attacks and that critical infrastructure from hospitals to schools and orphanages have been destroyed, Erdogan brought the legitimacy of Israel’s justification of "self-defence" into question.

"Who is Israel protecting itself from by dropping more than 70,000 tonnes of bombs on Gaza, half of the population of which is under the age of 18?" she asked.

The first lady stressed that the 14 months of organised cruelty unfolding in Palestine is a test of humanity's collective conscience.

"Let's make the definition clear: Israel's actions in the Palestinian territories are a post-modern Holocaust."

Western hypocrisy

Addressing the forum, Erdogan emphasised that each indiscriminate civilian death further erodes ethical boundaries the world once deemed unbreakable.

"What is happening today unfolds in plain view of the entire world. For the first time in history, a genocide is being broadcast live by its victims, hoping for help to arrive from somewhere," she said.

Erdogan also shed light on Western hypocrisy, condemning the "so-called ‘civilised’ world" for turning a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinians despite claiming to champion humanitarian values and becoming "shamefully complicit through their silence."

"Does the definition of ‘human’ apply only to those within the boundaries determined by the West?" she continued. "Let us remember, history is being written for future generations to take heed."

'Palestine is our shared legacy'

Calling for meaningful and effective international action against Israel's relentless massacres, Türkiye's first lady also urged the world to celebrate Palestinian heritage and recognise the millennia-old civilisation, acknowledging its peoples' resilience.

"With their dignified resistance, standing unyielding against oppression, the people of Gaza remind us all of virtues we had forgotten," Erdogan said.

She expressed that there is still room for hope, noting that an "awakening" that has revealed itself through global protests heralds the birth of a new, fairer world.

"For the innocent lives we can still save, let us cry out for an immediate ceasefire, without hesitation, without conditions, and without excuses," she added.

Erdogan also highlighted Türkiye’s unwavering support for Palestine as the leading country in providing aid to Gaza, delivering 88,000 tonnes of humanitarian assistance alongside endless diplomatic efforts for Palestinian independence and the continuation of vital aid.

The first lady concluded her speech with a moving excerpt from the poetry of Refaat Alareer, a professor, author, and poet martyred by Israeli attacks: "If I must die, you must live to tell my story. ... If I must die, let it bring hope, let it be a tale."

"The story of Professor Refaat, of young Hind Rajab whom we could not save, of Riim who perished in her grandfather's arms, and so many others, is entrusted to all of us. The story of Palestine is our shared legacy."