A delegation of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) visited Lebanon on November 4-6. The visit, which took place on the days when Lebanon was resisting the Israeli attack, had been elaborated in the meetings of the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) and TKP representatives in both countries in the past weeks. The visit aimed to increase the solidarity between revolutionary forces in the political environment of increasing violence in the region.
TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan was accompanied by Party Council members Mehmet İnam and Yiğit Günay. Journalist Musa Özuğurlu also accompanied the visit.
On Monday, November 4, the TKP delegation met with LCP General Secretary Hanna Gharib and comrades from the party leadership at the headquarters of the Lebanese Communist Party in the capital Beirut. During the meeting, which lasted approximately two hours, Okuyan and Gharib discussed political developments in Turkey and Lebanon.
After analysing the political situation, the General Secretaries of the communist parties of the two countries discussed the steps that can be taken together in Turkey and Lebanon to strengthen support to the resistance against Israel. The two parties decided to work together to increase co-operation and co-ordination between communist and revolutionary organisations in the region and to ensure the flow of accurate information on the developments in Palestine and Lebanon.
On Tuesday, November 5, TKP delegation visited the two displacement shelters of the Lebanese Communist Party in the towns of Barca, south of Beirut, and Sawfar, east of Beirut. Lebanon is experiencing the largest migration movement in its history following the Israeli attacks. During the period when approximately 1 million 300 thousand people were displaced from their homes, the People’s Solidarity Association led by LCP has established shelters in its 22 centres across the country, for families who had to leave, such as those in Barca and Sawfar. TKP delegation talked to the families from South Lebanon in the two centres, assessed the situation with the administrative and health personnel working in these centres and exchanged views on what steps can be taken to increase solidarity.
On November 5, the Israeli airstrike on Barca took place right after the TKP delegation left the town, killing 30 people.
In the afternoon of the same day, TKP delegation visited the Palestinian camp Mar Ilyas. The delegation held separate meetings with representatives of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). During the meetings, the political and military situation in Palestine and the region was evaluated.
On the evening of November 5, the TKP delegation held a meeting with the management of the People’s Solidarity Association. The delegation listened to the technical details of the work of the association and evaluated the needs and possible channels of solidarity.
On November 6, TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan held a joint press conference with LCP General Secretary Hanna Gharib after being a guest on LCP’s Sawt Chaab (People’s Voice) Radio.
Gharib stated that the TKP’s visit to Lebanon in these days of war has great meaning and importance for the struggle of the Lebanese people and the LCP. LCP GS emphasised that TKP and LKP agree that it is essential for all progressive, revolutionary forces and working class parties in the region to join forces and said, ‘Shouldering the resistance today is the essence of the work. Not only for Lebanon and Palestine, but for the fate of the entire Middle East, the resistance shown today is vital’.
Stating that the TKP delegation visited the displacement shelter centres in the towns of Barca and Sawfar and saw the situation in the field, Gharib said, ‘After our comrades completed their visit to Barca and left the town, Israel launched an airstrike on the town. Dozens of people lost their lives. The fact that our comrades from Turkey visited Lebanon under these conditions, risking all dangers, is of great significance and should be an example for all revolutionary forces in the world.’
The Lebanese communist leader underlined that the resolution on Palestine adopted at the last International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties in Izmir last year was the best political text ever adopted at these meetings and underlined the importance of the role of the TKP on this issue as the hosting party.
Gharib stated that the Communist Party of Lebanon was the main force that organised the resistance to the Israeli occupation in 1982, that the resistance against the occupation was part of the party’s history, and that today they are fighting against the Israeli occupation with all their means and that ‘This is our way. This is our tradition. In the past, we won, we expelled the occupiers, and today, Netanyahu will lose this war one way or another, without any doubt.’
Pointing out that many actors in the world public opinion have expressed the demand for a ceasefire, Gharib said, ‘Those who want a ceasefire in Palestine today, those who want peace, should arm the Lebanese people. Both the Palestinian people and the Lebanese people have the right to resist. The answer to asking for a ceasefire is to provide arms to the Lebanese people.’
Kemal Okuyan started his speech by thanking the Lebanese Communist Party and saluted the relatives of those who lost their lives in Palestine and Lebanon and those who are still fighting.
Okuyan said, ‘Of course we are here for solidarity. But we should not miss one thing. We are part of the same struggle in the world. The specific situation in Palestine and Lebanon today is that the Israeli attacks are the highest embodiment of the barbaric order in the world. The struggle and resistance in Palestine and Lebanon is not separate from our struggle, it is the front line of our struggle.’
Stating that the ongoing war is not between religions, Okuyan said, ‘This conflict is mainly between the powers that rule the world and the rest of the world, the poor. It is between the poor and the rich. There is not a single country in the world that sincerely stands by the Lebanese and Palestinian people. None of them, including the Turkish government, which criticises Israel when it comes to words, lifts a finger for the Palestinian and Lebanese people. Why? Because their interests are in favour of Israel. They favour money. The money is in Israel,’ he said.
‘As comrade Hanna said, our only way out is common struggle,’ said the TKP General Secretary, emphasising that not a single representative of capital will stand by the Palestinian and Lebanese people, but if the peoples around the world, in Europe and the USA raise their voices, their governments may be forced to step back from their support for Israel.
‘However, the struggle so far is not enough. It is not enough in Turkey either. Erdoğan constantly insults Netanyahu, but Turkey’s relations with Israel continue. We communists always say that we don’t look at words, we look at facts. In our country, the government maintains economic relations with Israel in one form or another, most importantly, the oil sent from Azerbaijan to Israel passes through Turkey, is loaded and shipped in Turkish ports. The Israeli jets that bombed Gaza or bombed Barca yesterday are flying with Azeri fuel from Turkey.’
Stating that this hypocrisy must be fought, Okuyan said, ‘That is why we should not be thanked for our visit, we should thank the Lebanese people for their fight and resistance.
Okuyan said that although their visit was limited to three days, they witnessed a lot and learnt a lot, and added: ‘When we return to our country, we will reconsider our ideas on how we can support the struggle in Lebanon and Palestine.’
‘As I said at the beginning, we see all this as our own struggle. All communist parties have working class patriotism. There is not a single communist party in history that did not take part in the resistance when a foreign occupying force set foot in its own country. This is our red line. Our party, TKP, was founded in 1920 during the occupation years. The first leaders and cadres of our party lost their lives in this struggle. Lebanese communists love Lebanon, their homeland. We also love Turkey, our homeland. But we are internationalists, we also care about other peoples. We dream of a world and humanity without inequality, imperialism and exploitation. But this is a long-term goal. Today we are faced with the task of stopping this barbaric attack.’
Okuyan said that they will strengthen their relations with the Lebanese Communist Party and do everything they can to support the resistance in Palestine and Lebanon. ‘Finally, I would like to thank all our comrades on the ground here one by one. Organising the visit of a foreign delegation in such difficult times is not an easy task. They did an excellent job.’
At the end of the press conference, Okuyan presented on behalf of the TKP a photograph of a demonstration in Turkey in which the flags of Turkey, Lebanon and Palestine were carried together.
TKP Central Committee will discuss in the coming days the issue of organising a comprehensive, strong and long-term solidarity campaign in the areas identified in detail during the visit to Lebanon, especially the needs of the health and humanitarian aid organisation that has been operating with the initiative of the LCP for years. The details of the solidarity campaign will be shared with the public in the following period.
At the party congress held on September 7-8 this year, TKP approved a comprehensive report on Israel’s war in the region and a resolution on increasing coordination and cooperation among revolutionary forces in the Middle East.
