MIT chief Kalın: Occupation is the problem, not Palestinians

MIT chief İbrahim Kalın objected to the term “Palestine problem” in his speech at the TRT World Forum 2026 in Istanbul, stressing that the real issue is the occupation. Kalın said that a solution, peace and justice in the Middle East would not be possible before the occupation ends.

İbrahim Kalın, head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), made a notable assessment of the Palestinian issue at the TRT World Forum 2026, held in Istanbul under the theme “A World Without a Center: Who Leads When the Rules No Longer Apply?” Kalın stressed that the widely used term “Palestine problem” incorrectly defines the issue.

“We always say ‘the Palestine problem,’ as if the Palestinians themselves were the problem. That is not correct; the problem is the occupation. There will be no solution, peace or justice in the Middle East without ending the occupation,” he said.

In the video, Kalın explains in his speech in the forum’s main hall that the region’s future cannot be considered separately from Palestine’s story and collective memory. For this reason, he says, every initiative seeking a solution to the “Palestine problem” must place the reality of the occupation at its center.

Erdoğan delivers Gaza message on forum’s opening day

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who spoke at the opening of this year’s 10th TRT World Forum, also delivered strong messages on Gaza. Erdoğan said that the Gaza Peace Agreement, whose signing Türkiye also helped facilitate, was not being implemented and that international bodies were “watching from the stands” as events unfolded in Gaza.

Nearly 150 speakers from 43 countries are addressing topics ranging from regional crises to global governance over two days at the forum.

Video: TRT World Forum. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (archive)