By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL- On Monday January 1, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. in Istanbul, a massive march on Galata Bridge is planned to show solidarity and support for the people of Gaza. The march will bring out a number of organizations to include members of the National Willpower Platform, consisting of 29 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that includes the Turkish Youth Foundation (TUGVA) who are encouraging Turkish citizens and others to participate in the huge rally. As TUGVA President Ibrahim Besinci told a news conference in Istanbul earlier this week: “We are aware we’re standing at a historic turning point and in such a time, we will raise our voice and spread our message.” Besinci is calling on “all parents, children, brothers and sisters, nongovernmental organizations and institutions to be Palestine’s voice.” He added: “The joint struggle of our nongovernmental organizations here is the struggle of humanity and justice.”
Istanbul and a number of other cities in Turkiye have held mass rallies for Palestinians ever since the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7 that prompted the Israeli government to wage a non-stop bombardment of Gaza. As a member of TUGVA’s high advisory board, Turkish President Erdogan’s son Bilal spoke to the press to emphasize the connection between terrorism in and around his country and the current situation in Gaza. As Bilal Erdogan stated: “We want to declare to the world that we are aware of the martyring of our soldiers and what is happening in Gaza are interconnected.” He added: “The Turkish people stand next to Palestine and know it wasn’t easy to earn this land. We will not allow anyone to play games here.” President Erdogan’s daughter Esra Albayrak who is married to Berat Albayrak, Turkiye’s former energy and natural resources minister said: “No ideology in the world can justify this horrible genocide. We are inviting all to question the global system in the face of this unfolding brutality.”
