The Turkish TRT Channel Forum concluded its activities in the city of… IstanbulAnd while tragedy took hold Gaza On its actions, many speakers called for a fairer international order, simultaneously criticizing Washington's use of its veto power (Veto) to reject a decision UN Security Council Ceasefire in Gaza.
In her speech before the forum, Turkish Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Goktas said that it is time to talk about a more just international system that truly embraces universal human values.
Regarding the war waged by the Israeli occupation on Gaza, the Turkish Minister said, “We are facing a crisis in which not only human values are being destroyed, but also people’s lives, and what we are witnessing in Gaza is genocide committed by the Israeli government against the Palestinians, and represents a brutal attack on human existence and the right to freedom of speech.” life and future generations.”
She stressed that it is time to find new ways to search for solutions to global crises, saying, “It is clear that the global system and international institutions that claim to maintain peace and justice in the world no longer alleviate suffering, are comprehensive, and do not protect humanity.”
A terrible tragedy
For his part, former US Ambassador Robert Ford criticized his country's policy of supporting the Israeli war on Gaza, and described the situation in Gaza as a “terrible human tragedy.”
Regarding the United States’ use of its veto against the Security Council’s resolution for an immediate ceasefire, Ford said that American policy now faces a terrible contradiction. It wants to eliminate the Islamic Resistance Movement (agitation) from Gaza, and on the other hand, wants to reduce the extent of killing and losses among Palestinian civilians.
Ford pointed out that the use of the veto sparked massive international anger, and Washington will have to find a way to deal with this contradiction and determine priorities. Is the priority to save civilians, or a military solution against Hamas? He expressed his hope that his country would choose to save civilian lives.
Shameful situation
Abdullah Al-Shayji, professor of political science at Kuwait University, described the United States’ use of its veto power to prevent a ceasefire in Gaza as “shameful.”
Al-Shayji said that the major powers support genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, and “they stand with the aggressor and the oppressor against the victim,” stressing that according to the Geneva Convention and international law, the Palestinians have the right to resist the occupation.
Al-Shaiji considered that “what Israel is doing in Gaza is a full-fledged war crime,” by relentlessly bombing civilians and hospitals, in addition to besieging an entire people and cutting off water and electricity.
Al-Shaiji praised the awareness of the younger generation – whether in the Arab world or in the West – about the Palestinian issue, considering this to be “the only good thing” about what is happening in Gaza.
It is controlled by the great powers
For his part, Abdullah Baaboud, professor of Islamic studies at Qatar University, said that the Security Council is controlled by the great powers, and the evidence is its impotence in the face of what is happening in Gaza, and this must change now through the rehabilitation of international organizations such as the United Nations and the Security Council.
Baaboud added that when the whole world sees the extent of the killing, destruction and war of extermination taking place in Gaza, and then the Security Council cannot do anything because a single country does not agree to that, this is “a degradation of all human and moral values.”
He stressed that the time has come to amend the Security Council system and move beyond the idea of veto and the five countries controlling the Council through a new mechanism for making decisions that protect humanity.
Baaboud called for protecting the Palestinians from “the Israeli killing machine that is trying to exterminate and displace them according to a historical lie specific to the Israelis, which is a matter that devastates humanity,” he said.
Media and economics
In other sessions within the TRT Forum, the head of the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Department, Fakhruddin Altun, said that today’s world is affected by rapid technological developments, noting that misleading information in times of crisis leads to the outbreak of violence.
Altoun added that digitization has reshaped the broadcasting and media sectors, considering that traditional media outlets face fierce competition with technology giants, especially in light of the possibility of exploiting artificial intelligence systems to deepen and consolidate misleading information.
As for Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, he said before the forum that his country is doing everything necessary to reduce inflation, noting that growth in Turkey is proceeding on an equal footing with its counterparts in emerging economies.
Şimşek added that global warming is not an opinion, but rather a reality that we live in, which will undoubtedly affect global economic growth, stressing that dealing with the climate change catastrophe requires joint collective action.
9 sessions
Over two days, the TRT Forum, in 9 sessions in its seventh edition this year, discussed many political and media issues, most notably “The Vision of Turkey’s Century… Turkey as an active element in building the world order,” and “Israel’s war in Gaza.” “The Humanitarian Crisis and Prospects for Peace,” and “The Return of Geopolitics… Competitions and Re-alliances in the New Century.”
Among the media issues discussed by the forum were “government media in the digital world,” in addition to “reshaping the global economy,” and “artificial intelligence that knows everything… creative potential or a devastating disaster?”
He also discussed the issue of “working towards effective multilateralism” at the United Nations, “empowering humanity… addressing social crises and inequality,” and “the link between food security, water and energy.”
Western media gangs
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan participated in the opening session yesterday, Friday, who asked – in his speech – “Where are the famous Western newspapers regarding what is happening in Gaza?” He considered that what he described as “global media gangs” condone the brutality against the people of Gaza, and are trying to… To give legitimacy to committing massacres against journalists under the pretext that they are from Hamas.
He pointed out that Israel did not only kill women and children, but also killed media professionals, pointing out that more than 70 media professionals were killed in the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to a devastating Israeli war for more than two months.
It was noteworthy that a number of attendees wore the Palestinian keffiyeh, as an expression of their solidarity with the Palestinians and the residents of Gaza in particular.
At the opening session, the organizers also showed a video clip about the suffering of Palestinian children during the war, to highlight the extent of pain and destruction in the Strip.
It is noteworthy that the TRT Forum in Istanbul began for the first time in 2017, and included more than 8,500 guests and 651 speakers from many countries over a period of 6 years. It also included 30 protocol letters, 52 open sessions and 59 round-table meetings.
