Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu, leader of HÜDA PAR (Hür Dava Partisi or Free Cause Party), visited Van on Monday to attend his party’s 4th Ordinary Provincial Congress.

During his visit, Yapıcıoğlu met with the local and national press to discuss the global and national issues as well as the challenges facing the region.

On this occasion, Yapıcıoğlu expressed his condolences to the citizens who lost their lives in the Van earthquake, which marked its 12th anniversary, and also highlighted the importance of the party's provincial congress in Van.

Yapıcıoğlu touched on the central issue of the Palestinian conflict during his press conference, emphasizing its prominent presence on the agenda of both Türkiye and the world:

"As you know, since the morning of October 7, the Palestinian issue has been on the top of the agenda not only of our country but also of the whole world. The genocidal attacks of the Zionist regime on the Gaza Strip, the atrocity images that have emerged in these attacks, and the deafening silence of the world, so to speak, especially of the Western world... The Gaza Strip has been under siege for 17 years. In 2006, after HAMAS won the elections, it was blockaded by land and sea. And even the most basic humanitarian needs were allowed into Gaza in a very limited way. Sometimes it was completely cut off. Since the Zionist occupation regime declared itself a state in 1948, there have been very serious massacres, sometimes reaching the level of genocide. For 75 years, the occupation has been expanding step by step. For 75 years, civilians have been killed, without naming women, children and the elderly. For 75 years, the world public opinion, international institutions and organizations have been content with condemnation".

Yapıcıoğlu went on to explain the dimensions of Zionist brutality and the ongoing conflict in Gaza, saying: "In the recent period, perhaps with the widespread use of social media, the images of the atrocities have reached the entire global public. They use phosphorus bombs in front of people's eyes while the cameras record. Then they deny it. After the evidence is presented, they brazenly try to justify it. They say they are fighting terrorism. They threw phosphorus bombs at the children's hospital after first warning them to evacuate the hospital, and then they threw phosphorus bombs at the children's hospital to make sure that the hospital was evacuated. And after that, the children's hospital was completely empty."

"If the justification for these attacks is the Aksa Flood Operation or HAMAS or Islamic Jihad, which started the operation, then why are they killing those they killed in the West Bank? If the justification for the attacks is HAMAS, the existence of HAMAS, if it is doing this to eliminate the existence of HAMAS, why is it attacking when HAMAS is not present?" Yapıcıoğlu asked.

Outlining the steps to be taken as a solution, Yapıcıoğlu continued: "As a first step, everyone who recognizes this occupation regime as a state should turn back from this decision, renounce and withdraw recognition. They should cut all relations and recall their diplomats. If there are Zionists disguised as diplomats, they must be expelled from their countries. All military, political, economic and commercial ties must also be severed."

"We have said for years that this is not enough. We have been saying for years that every country that stands for humanity must close its airspace, its territorial waters to israeli planes, israeli ships and all vehicles flying the zionist flag," he said.

The call by HÜDA PAR Chairman Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu comes amid escalating tensions in the region and growing international concern over israeli aggression against Palestine. (ILKHA)