International Students Come Together As One Heart Against Israeli Oppression

In the shadow of the occupation and genocide in Gaza, the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) organized the "In the Shadow of Genoside - Gaza Panel and Exhibition from the Perspective of International Students" with the participation of international students who came to our country from all over the world and received university education. The program, held at Zeytinburnu Culture and Art Center in Istanbul, started with the recitation of the Holy Quran. Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of İlim Yayma Foundation, Abdullah Eren, President of YTB, Zeytinburnu Mayor Ömer Arısoy, representatives of non-governmental organizations and international students attended the event, where a short video was shown in memory of the people who lost their lives in Gaza.

 

Addressing the guests in the opening speeches of the program, YTB President Abdullah Eren drew attention to Türkiye's struggle against the massacre that took place in front of the whole world. Stating that international students did not leave Türkiye alone in this struggle in the international arena, Eren said, “There is a great struggle that Türkiye is waging within this helpless system that cannot prevent this massacre taking place before our eyes. Sometimes you may be alone in this struggle, and sometimes you may pay the price. However, the international students with whom we share the bond of love do not leave us alone on this path," he said.

Expressing the heroic struggle created by Gaza, Eren said, "This year since the Gaza massacre has begun, 42.000 people have passed away."

 

Speaking at the opening of the program, Zeytinburnu Mayor Ömer Arısoy underlined that we are talking about the Palestinian people who have been suffering under oppression and occupation since 1948. Emphasizing that a great genocide was committed in front of all humanity, Arısoy said, “We are talking about the Palestinian people who have protected, preserved and brought this place to the present day for 400 years, and have been groaning under oppression and occupation since 1948. For this reason, we think that Türkiye's defense starts from Gaza, just as our President said. "I repeat the prayer for a free Palestine and wish mercy to those who were martyred," he said.

 

Palestinian student Mariam Menawi, who said that the goal of Global Zionism is to expand the territory of Israel and to seize the "promised land" and establish a great Jewish state, said: "Israel shouted to the world at the level of discourse and action that its ultimate goal is not only Palestinian lands. Israeli politicians clearly stated that their long-term goal is to capture Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria, both at the United Nations General Assembly and in every statement they gave to the press. "Israel's sole aim is to redraw the map of the Middle East," he said.

 

Another speaker, Venezuelan student Gabriel Sanchez, stated that the Venezuelan people stand with Palestine even though they are thousands of kilometers away. Sanchez said, “As a Venezuelan student, today I participated in this program to make a personal contribution. I deeply feel the sadness of those who lost their lives in the massacres in Palestine and Gaza. "Even though we are thousands of kilometers away from you geographically, I express my respect by declaring that we will always support human rights and justice," he said.

 

Uzbek student Iroda Oripova also drew attention to the UN data. Stating that, according to UN data, approximately 625,000 students in the region lost a complete academic year after October 7, 2023, Oripova said, “In September 2024, more than 45,000 of six-year-old children could not start the first grade and 39,000 students missed their last year at school and Tawjihi (General Secondary Education) "He could not take the exams," he said.

Following the opening speeches, the promotional video of the Voice of International Students: Gaza Special Issue of Her Boydan, which started its publication life in 2024 under YTB Publications and published its first issue with the Gaza file, was shown. Sudanese student and writer of Her Boydan journal, Muhammed Ismail Khazin, also gave a poetry recital from Gazan writer and poet martyr Rifat El Arir. Turkish Santur Artist Sedat Anar sang a lament for Gaza.

After the opening speeches, the panel part of the program started. The panel was moderated by Azra Omerbasic from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

Speaking at the panel, Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the İlim Yayma Foundation, drew attention to the fact that the world we live in has recently become a place where injustice, oppression, blood and tears have increased. Reminding that the Sarajevo and Kosovo massacres took place in the heart of Europe, Erdoğan noted that despite the existence of preventive mechanisms such as the UN and international law, the oppressions have not been prevented.

 

Now, Erdoğan, who explained that Israel continues to commit genocide, said, “The world has recently become a place where injustice, oppression, blood and tears have increased. Very recently, the Sarajevo and Kosovo massacres took place in the heart of Europe and their effects are still continuing. Despite the existence of preventive mechanisms such as the UN and international law, these oppressions could not be prevented. Israel is expanding the borders of the lands it claims to have been promised to it day by day. The world, however, is just standing by and doing nothing. The West is not just ignoring this genocide, it has also completely embraced it. This situation shows us that the name of order is now ‘chaos’.” Türkiye has made great efforts since the beginning to have the international community, especially Muslim countries, take a united stand. However, they have been unable to react. Here is the summary of the conscience of humanity,” he said.

 

Another speaker, Palestinian student Ibrahim Almadani, stated that Israel not only bombed hospitals but also schools and deprived students from education. Almadani continued his speech as follows: “It bombed all mosques, streets and infrastructure. For example, there was no trace left of the neighborhood where I lived for 30 years. The people of Gaza were left homeless, roofless, without clean water and electricity for a year. Why does international law remain indifferent to these war crimes of Israel? Delayed justice is not justice. The system represented by the UN Security Council currently represents a bad system. This system, which is larger than 5 in the world, must definitely be changed.”

“In the Shadow of Genocide - Gaza Panel and Exhibition from the Perspective of International Students" ended after a group photo shoot.