August 2, 2006

Since the news in the Turkish Daily Evrensel hit the streets with the names of the Assembly Representatives who were members of the so-called, “Turkey-Israel Inter-Parliamentarian Friendship Group,” the representatives are falling over each other as they resign one after other from this superfluous group. 27 Representatives have resigned in shame in the past. The high number of representatives who were discovered to be the members of the Israeli Friendship Group from the ruling JDP party which prides itself for being an Islamic party is striking.

Evrensel Daily’s News:

Resignations Increase

The resignations of the representatives belonging to the “Turkey-Israel Inter-Parliamentarian Friendship Group” which was featured in our call, “People of Turkey Want a Response to Israel” are growing.

The rep. from Hatay, Züheyir Amber has resigned from the Israel Friendship Group. In his letter of resignation to the Assembly Amber said that previously he thought staying and preventing the mistakes from within. But after Israel’s bloody attack on Qana he considered that to be the last straw to break the camel’s back. He added, “Just like a holocaust, or environmental destruction, something so horrifying and unthinkable to even talk about has been committed by Israel and is not acceptable. I am condemning Israel. These facts are the reasons for my resignation from Israel-Turkey friendship Group.”

Another representative from Manisa of the CHP (Republican Peoples’ Party), Ufuk Özkan, in his explanation to our paper said he had confirmed with his consultants that he was not a member of the Friendship Group and said the inhuman attacks perpetrated by Israel has been supported and has been committed with the knowledge of the US. He added, “The whole word should take a lesson and also condemn the barbarism committed by Israel. The whole world should stand up to Israel’s oppression and must confirm its unjustified acts.”

We all resign
The Erzurum representative from the Islamic ruling JDP party, Mustafa Nuri Akbulut said he resigned 18 months ago from the group. Rep. Muhsin Koçyiğit from Diyarbakır announced that he had given his resignation to the Chair of the Group on 06/08/2004 and 02/01/2005 but his name had not been taken out of the list.

Rep. Musa Sıvacıoğlu of the same Islamic ruling party JDP said he had resigned from the group in the face of increasing Israeli attacks in the region on November 14, 2005. But since his name is in the list of members of the Group, he was forced to make an announcement. Musa Sıvacıoğlu showed his reaction to Israel’s indiscriminate killings of women, children and innocent people and said, “The international community has to react immediately to stop Israel’s attacks against civilians before more blood and tears are shed in the region.”

Another representative from the Islamic ruling party JDP (Justice and Development Party) from Çorum, Agah Kafkas said in his statement that he had resigned from Turkey-Israel inter-parliamentarian Friendship group about a year ago.

A current member of the Group from the same city of Çorum, but from the Republican Peoples’ Party (RPP), Rep. Feridun Ayvazoğlu said in the face of the Israeli attacks in the region, he was preparing to resign.

Rep. Kirişçi only criticized
While the social reaction is climbing to the Turkey-Israel Friendship Group, The President of the Group, also from the Islamic party JDP who is in government in Turkey, Rep. Vahit Kirişçi from the city of Adana, said in an announcement to our paper, “When the time is right, any measure can be taken,” referring to disbanding the now mute group. He also added that there was no real justification behind Israel’s attacks and that reaction even from within Israel was on the rise. Vahit Kirişçi expressed that while participation to such groups was voluntary for the Assembly members, the Friendship Groups were legitimate organs formed by the Assembly bylaws. He said the resignations were also voluntary from the groups.

When asked how he would react to an action of massive resignation and a condemnation of Israel by Rep. Canan Arıtman of the RPP party, Vahit Kirişçi of the ruling Islamic party JDP said, “When the time comes, anything is possible. It is not hard to dismantle it when it is appropriate. But then individual reactions would lose their meaning. When we lose the group identity, how much effect will our individual reactions have then?” He also added that the diplomatic relationship with Israel would continue, but when considering the latest atrocities, the attack and occupation of Palestine and Lebanon was a great drama.

The list of all representatives who resigned from the Turkey-Israel Inter-Parliamentarian Friendship Group so far:

From the Islamic, ruling, Justice and Development Party
From: Muş, Seracettin Karayağız,
From: Batman, Nezir Nasıroğlu,
From: Kastamonu, Musa Sıvacıoğlu,
From: Kahramanmaraş, Mehmet Yılmazcan,
From: Diyarbakır, İhsan Merdanoğlu,
From: Batman, Mehmet Ali Suçin,
From: Erzurum, Mustafa Nuri Akbulut,
From: Batman, Ahmet İnal,
From: Bartın, Hacı İbrahim Kabarık,
From: Sakarya, Süleyman Gündüz,
From: Batman, Afif Demirkıran,
From: Ankara, Sait Yazıcıoğlu,
From: Kütahya, Halil İbrahim Yılmaz (resigned prior to his death),
From: Eskişehir, Fahri Keskin,
From: Denizli, Mehmet Yüksektepe,
From: Giresun, Hasan Aydın,
From: Kırşehir, Mikail Arslan,
From: Çorum, Agah Kafkas

From the opposition, liberal, Republican Peoples’ Party
From: Konya, Atilla Kart,
From: Kırklareli, Mehmet Kesimoğlu,
From: Kastamonu, Mehmet Yıldırım,
From: İzmir, Oğuz Oyan
From: Hatay, İnal Batu,
From: Manisa, Ufuk Özkan,

From the opposition, conservative, Motherland Party
From: İzmir, Serpil Yıldız,
From: Hatay, Züheyir Amber,
From: Diyarbakır, Muhsin Koçyiğit,

Evrensel Daily,
Aug 2, 2006