“Today I Am Palestinian”: Dr. Ahmet Davutoğlu Speaks to Palestine Chronicle
By Robert Inlakesh
Former Turkish Prime Minister, Professor Ahmet Davutoğlu, joined Ramzy Baroud on the Palestine Chronicle’s ‘FloodGate Podcast’.
He addressed his support for the Palestinian cause, working on the issue on behalf of Turkiye in an official capacity, in addition to clarifying his recent remarks regarding including Gaza under Turkish quasi-rule that has sparked debate.
As leader of the Future Party, Davutoğlu delivered a speech to the Party’s parliamentary bloc, during which called for the Gaza Strip to be made an autonomous part of the Turkish State. The comments provoked debate inside Turkiye and the Arab World, to which he gave clarifications to the Palestine Chronicle.
Professor Davutoğlu started off by discussing his extensive experience in dealing with Palestinian political Parties like Hamas and Fatah while detailing some of the ceasefire negotiations he helped arrange between Gaza and Israel in the past.
He then stressed that Palestine is not to be placed under the ownership of anyone but the Palestinians and explained that in order to make his Gaza proposal possible, a referendum would take place whereby the people would decide to be placed under Turkish temporary rule.
Davutoğlu stipulated that such an arrangement would only go into effect in an interim period, until which time a Palestinian State would be established, also calling for counter-proposals.
“Palestinians are representing all of us, they are dying for the honor and dignity for the Muslim Ummah, for humanity”, the professor explained, stating that he views the Palestinian struggle as existential and part of a wider Muslim and humanitarian cause.
“So people that do not understand my statement, they try to accuse or create speculation about some sort of neo-Ottomanism, no, I didn’t say this in a vacuum,” Davutoğlu says, explaining that his proposal was in direct reaction to Donald Trump’s announced intention to “own” and ethnically cleanse Gaza.
The conversation also takes on the issue of Turkiye’s role during the Gaza genocide and what steps should be taken in order to remedy the situation, in addition to the criticisms leveled against Ankara’s seeming lack of action.
Also included in the conversation are references to the long history between Gaza and Turkiye, including some interesting facts regarding both Turkish Presidents and icons of the Palestinian national liberation cause.
– Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.
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