The Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun said, "In a climate where Israel is recklessly destroying both Palestinians and the truth, as Türkiye, we will not remain silent, we will communicate through our media. We will keep shouting out the truth".
Director of Communications Altun, speaking at the premiere of the documentary "The Evidence" by Anadolu Agency (AA), which bluntly exposes the war crimes perpetrated by Israel in Gaza, noted that The Evidence was initially published as a book and has now been made into a documentary film.
Stating that The Evidence is literally a historical project and documents all of Israel's atrocities, war crimes, misconduct, and acts of genocide since October 7, Director of Communications Altun said that the President of the International Court of Justice, the UN Special Rapporteur, as well as the staff members of international organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have all contributed to the documentary and shared extensive data on the process in Gaza.
Altun emphasised that days would not be enough to describe Israel's war crimes and the wounds inflicted on humanity's conscience, no matter how well they are depicted in the documentary, adding, "Do you remember, recently a Palestinian young man set fire to a book he was holding and said, 'There is no such thing as international law, it is all a big lie.' Indeed, this is a completely justified and moral uprising.
In this moment of time, in this phase of history, which is presented as the pinnacle of humanity by the enlightenmentists, positivists, modernists, progressives, and Westerners, we are witnessing humanity's death by the day, as it bleeds."
"Through the proofs it presents, the Evidence uncovers genocide that has been attempted to be concealed"
Stating that the Palestinian people are being targeted for extermination and genocide in front of the entire world, Director of Communications Altun said:
"States that consider themselves members of the civilised world openly support Israel, and Israel uses this backing to commit genocide against the Palestinians. The documentary 'The Evidence', which we are gathered here to discuss today, uncovers this genocide that has been consistently overlooked, ignored, and attempted to be concealed, presenting its compelling evidence.
I believe that with this documentary, the entire world will see today and tomorrow how 34,000 people, including 14,000 children, were killed in front of their very eyes. The global community will come to understand the profound blindness, deafness, and ignorance of humanity in the face of such a massive genocide. It will also be clear who is on the right side of this process, on the side of truth, and who is on the wrong side, on the side of deception."
"Israel purposefully attacks journalists because it regards them as a strategic target"
Emphasising that great efforts were made to obtain the evidence in the documentary, Director of Communications Altun stated that the evidence was obtained through the approach of many heroes dedicated to truth, such as Ali Jadallah, AA's photojournalist working in Gaza, who put their lives at stake.
Pointing out that Israel targeted journalists who tried to reveal the truth for this very reason, Altun said, "Unfortunately, more than 140 journalists have been murdered and martyred by Israel so far. Israel purposefully attacks journalists because it regards them as a strategic target. Israel is killing and slaughtering them deliberately."
Reminding that Israel targeted the TRT Arabi crew and attacked them with a tank during Eid, cameraman Sami Mohammed Şehade lost his leg and two other journalists were wounded, Director of Communications Altun said, "We all owe a debt of gratitude to journalists who risk death in the name of truth. They are the real heroes."
Director of Communications Altun paid tribute to the martyrs who died on this path with gratitude and mercy and offered prayers for the recovery of the injured.
"We shall always stand firm with the oppressed"
Pointing out that, on the one hand, Israel was trying to prevent the truth from being revealed by targeting journalists, and on the other hand, it aimed to cover up the truth with disinformation, lies and staged content, Director of Communications Altun highlighted that the Presidency's Directorate of Communications has exposed more than 200 pieces of Israeli disinformation since October 7 and announced the truth to the world.
Stating that Anadolu Agency's Teyit Hattı (Fact Check Line) revealed a lot of disinformation in this context, Altun said that TRT continued to enlighten the world public with its numerous international broadcasts.
Director of Communications Altun said, "In a climate where Israel is recklessly destroying both Palestinians and the truth, I would like to put it simply and clearly that, as Türkiye, we will not remain silent; we will communicate through our media. We will keep shouting out the truth. Because this is a vigil of truth. We will be the loudest voice for history and truth. We shall always stand firm with the oppressed."
"Forgetting Palestine and seeking to make it forgotten is the greatest treachery"
Director of Communications Altun remarked that two developments occurred in recent days in an attempt to divert attention away from the ongoing genocide in Gaza, one of which was a vicious disinformation campaign aimed directly at Türkiye and attempting to associate it with Israel.
Director of Communications Altun stated that criticisms and reactions not directed at Israel are attempted to be directed at Türkiye and the government, that much disinformative content was produced within Türkiye's borders during this period, and that they made denials against them on various platforms and shared the truth with the public.
Director of Communications Altun continued:
"Despite our efforts to share the truth, which is clear as day, those who have designated Hamas as a terrorist organisation, those who were even unable to comprehend the honourable 'one minute' statement of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, those who criticise him, have attempted to put Türkiye, which Israel views as an adversary, on the target and to associate Türkiye with Israel.
We must emphasise very clearly and unequivocally that Türkiye stands by the oppressed Palestinian people regardless of the circumstances. Türkiye has consistently viewed all international forums as opportunities for the Palestinian struggle, and our President has been an outspoken advocate for the Palestinian cause on the international stage. We stand in solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters, both in words and actions. Defending Palestine is a sacred duty obliged upon us by our history, our faith, and our humanity. Those who make political or other calculations are people we cannot interact with or take seriously. We embrace the Palestinian cause with our brothers and sisters whose hearts go out to Palestine and we will continue to do so."
Director of Communications Altun stated, "While Israel attacks us whenever it finds the opportunity because we support Palestine, attempting to portray Türkiye as a supporter of Israel serves today's Israel and its supporters the most."
While our hearts are with Palestine and our attention is on Palestine, these campaigns aim to obscure the Palestinian cause and the oppressed Gazans. This is the strategy and the goal in this case. Forgetting Palestine and seeking to make it forgotten is the greatest treachery."
"No ploy, strategy or campaign can exonerate Israel"
Emphasising that another development aimed at rendering Palestine forgotten and the persecution hidden was the tension between Israel and Iran a few days ago, Director of Communications Altun stated that the tension, which erupted with Israel's attack on Iran's consulate building in Damascus and the killing of its soldiers, was systematically employed to cover up the persecution in Palestine.
Director of Communications Altun stated that Western nations heightened the tension through their statements in an effort to divert attention from the genocide against Palestinians. He also noted that Iran's response relegated Israel's genocide to the background, particularly in Western capitals and public opinion.
Director of Communications Altun went on to say:
"As stated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, those who refrained from speaking out against Israel's flagrant violation of international law and the Vienna Convention by targeting Iran's Embassy in Damascus have immediately hastened to condemn Iran's response." Israel, the oppressor, has suddenly been portrayed as the victim. In our view, these attempts are part of a larger effort to restore Israel's reputation in the eyes of Western public opinion. However, one unquestionable fact persists despite all the efforts: Israel is currently committing genocide in Gaza.
No ploy, strategy or campaign can exonerate Israel. Without a doubt, Türkiye has maintained an extremely hectic diplomatic schedule in an effort to prevent the invisibility of the genocide in Gaza. Under the leadership of our President, we underscored our point that neither adding fuel to the flames nor providing encouragement to the Netanyahu government would be constructive.
"We must combat every effort to normalise the genocide"
Expressing the importance for regional and international actors to acknowledge that peace and stability are unattainable in the region and worldwide as long as Palestine is under attack, Director of Communications Altun emphasised the necessity for actors to devise a strategy in accordance with this reality, saying:
"Our top responsibility in this respect is thwarting strategies that normalise the massacre of Palestinian babies, children, and women. In this respect, in particular, we, as public institutions guiding public communication processes, along with private media outlets, must confront all efforts to conceal the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza. We must combat every effort to normalise and erase this genocide. It is our duty to do so.
The documentary and book "Kanıt: The Evidence" are both endeavours to debunk these malicious normalisation strategies. Through these works and evidence, we endeavour to elucidate the just cause of Palestine, the genocide in Gaza and Israeli oppression in the international arena. Moreover, we wish to provide the International Criminal Court (ICC) with tangible evidence and proof in support of the ongoing genocide trial."
Director of Communications Altun congratulated the executives and staff of the Anadolu Agency, as well as the journalists who bravely exert efforts for truth and justice in Gaza, with a special mention to those who made valuable contributions to "The Evidence" documentary and book.
Director of Communications Altun's post on "The Evidence," a documentary by AA
Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun shared a post on his social media account regarding the premiere of AA's documentary "The Evidence."
Director of Communications Altun stated the following in his post:
"The documentary 'The Evidence' documents all of Israel's atrocities, war crimes, and acts of genocide since October 7.
In the documentary The Evidence,
* the President of the International Court of Justice,
* the UN Special Rapporteur
*, and employees and experts from international organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch address the situation in Gaza in depth.
Here, we must convey the painful truth.
Although this 52-minute documentary effectively presents a wealth of evidence; minutes, hours, and days are insufficient to convey the crimes committed by Israel and the wounds inflicted on the conscience of humanity.
In recent days, we have seen two occurrences aimed at diverting attention away from the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
One of them was a vicious disinformation campaign targeted directly at our country, attempting to associate Türkiye with Israel.
They resorted to reorienting the criticisms and reactions they did not level at Israel towards Türkiye and our government.
During this process, much disinformation was created within our country's borders, and we issued dozens of refutations to the public.
"Despite our efforts to share the truth, which is clear as day, those who have designated Hamas as a terrorist organisation, those who were even unable to comprehend the honourable 'one minute' statement of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have attempted to associate Türkiye, which Israel views as an adversary, with Israel.
We must emphasise very clearly and unequivocally that Türkiye stands by the oppressed Palestinian people regardless of the circumstances. We stand in solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters, both in words and actions.
As stated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, those who refrained from speaking out against Israel's flagrant violation of international law and the Vienna Convention by targeting Iran's Embassy in Damascus have immediately hastened to condemn Iran's response.
Israel, the oppressor, has suddenly been portrayed as the victim.
We believe that the attempts in this process are intended to whitewash Israel before Western public opinion.
However, one unquestionable fact persists despite all the efforts: Israel is currently committing genocide in Gaza.
No ploy, strategy or campaign can exonerate Israel.
Without a doubt, Türkiye has maintained an extremely hectic diplomatic schedule in an effort to prevent the invisibility of the genocide in Gaza.
And we underscored our point that neither adding fuel to the flames nor providing encouragement to the Netanyahu government would be constructive.
Today, regional and global actors need to recognise this and adopt a strategy accordingly.
Peace, stability and prosperity in our region and around the world cannot be achieved so long as Palestine remains under attack. In addition, thwarting strategies that normalise the slaughter of Palestinian babies, children, and women is among our most important obligations.
The documentary and book "The Evidence" are both endeavours to debunk these malicious normalisation strategies.
Through these works and evidence, we endeavour to elucidate the just cause of Palestine, the genocide in Gaza and Israeli oppression in the international arena.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the esteemed staff and executives of Anadolu Agency, as well as those who contributed to the preparation of the book and documentary "The Evidence."
