Turkey’s main opposition leader has criticized the lack of new information shared during yesterday’s closed parliamentary session regarding Israel’s military aggression.
The session, held at the request of the government, followed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's earlier remarks suggesting that Turkey could be Israel’s next target after Gaza and Lebanon.
Speaking after the closed session, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel opposed the president’s statement, saying, "Turkey should not be concerned about Erdoğan's claim that Israel will target us next. There is nothing to support this claim, and nothing new was revealed in the session that the public didn’t already know."
The session was not more informative than regular news coverage, Özel added.
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The CHP leader further criticized Erdoğan for not attending the session himself, sending instead the foreign minister and defense minister. He questioned why Erdoğan made such alarming statements but did not personally present any detailed information to parliament.
"The person in charge of appointing ministers and overseeing foreign policy, intelligence, and defense cannot just say 'Israel will attack Turkey' and then walk away," Özel remarked, adding that if the president is making such claims, he should provide the necessary evidence directly to the parliament.
'Real problems'
Özel suggested that Erdoğan’s comments were an attempt to divert attention from Turkey's domestic problems like poverty, unemployment, and inflation. "We are certain that Erdoğan made these remarks to distract from the real issues facing Turkey today.”
"Anyone who believes otherwise should say so," Özel added, challenging the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to substantiate the president's claims. He called on Turkey to "return to its real agenda" and urged journalists to focus on issues like corruption, joblessness, and the struggles of workers and farmers. (VK)
