Four parliamentary political parties have released a joint declaration to denounce a massive Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, during Parliament's General Assembly meeting on Thursday evening.
Speaking with reporters following the meeting, Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek defined Israel's ground operation as an unacceptable development, saying that he vehemently condemns the operation. “Before it is too late, a cease-fire should be agreed to. A resolution should be found without further bloodshed,” Çiçek said.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) parliamentary group deputy chairman Akif Hamzaçebi said that the military operation launched by Israel on the grounds of “retaliation” is gradually shifting beyond its purpose and has turned into a move in which civilians and children are being targeted. Hamzaçebi said the CHP condemns any kind of attack targeting children and civilians. “Both the international community and Turkey remain as mere spectators to the incidents,” he said.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) responded to Hamzaçebi's criticism of Turkey's ineffectiveness regarding the issue, sparking a short verbal spat between CHP and AK Party deputies in Parliament. Deputy Parliament Speaker Sadık Yakut suspended the session for a short time.
When the session resumed, Hamzaçebi took the floor again and proposed that all parliamentary parties take a common stance against Israel's ground offensive against Palestinians.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) parliamentary group deputy chairman Oktay Vural, who also gave a speech during the session, agreed with Hamzaçebi, saying that a common position should be reached at Parliament.
AK Party deputy group chairman Ahmet Aydın said that Israel has been implementing state terrorism and that the Turkish government sees the Palestinian issue as if it were a domestic issue in Turkey. Aydın also agreed on a common stance being taken regarding the issue.
Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy group chairman İdris Baluken said the Turkish government should adopt more active diplomatic efforts against the Israeli offensive in Gaza, calling on international institutions and organizations to take necessary measures to prevent the attacks of Israel on Gaza.
After the deputy group chairmen from each party spoke, Deputy Parliament Speaker Yakut called for a break. After the break, all political parties agreed to release a joint declaration to condemn the Israeli military operation on Gaza. On Friday afternoon, the joint statement was read by Yakut at Parliament.
Israelis and Palestinians in the densely populated enclave have been fighting a cross border war for 11 days.
The Israeli military says Gaza militants have fired more than 1,300 rockets into Israel. Palestinian health officials say 233 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air and naval strikes. One Israeli civilian has been killed by fire from Gaza.
Before dawn on Thursday, about a dozen Palestinian fighters tunneled under the border, emerging near an Israeli community. At least one was killed when Israeli aircraft bombed the group, the military said.
On Thursday night, loud thuds and flashes of orange light lit the sky in the eastern Gaza strip as Israeli gunboats fired shells and tracer fire while artillery and helicopters fired over the border. Gaza residents and medical officials reported heavy shelling along the eastern borders from the southern town of Rafah up to the north of the enclave.
