The closing program of the Youth Forum, organized for the fifth time this year by the Palestinian Students Association (FÖDERN), was held with intense participation in Başakşehir, Istanbul. We also participated in this meaningful event as TÜRGEV. The speech given by our Board President, Attorney Hatice Akıncı Yılmaz, reaffirmed our responsibility towards the Palestinian cause and our belief in youth.

"The memory of Gaza is entrusted to the conscience of youth"

In her speech at the forum, our President, Attorney Hatice Akıncı Yılmaz, emphasized that the Palestinian resistance is not only a regional issue but a common moral issue for all humanity. In her call to the youth, she included the following statements:

"The memory of Gaza is entrusted to the conscience of youth. I see this forum as a living part of the memory of Palestine, shaped by the conscience of youth. The fact that our hearts, our memory, and our common destiny intersect on this meaningful ground gives me great hope and strength."

"We are witnesses of an era with heavy testimony and great responsibility"

Yılmaz defined the Palestinian resistance as "the most honorable form of being human" in her speech, drawing attention to the weighty yet precious nature of witnessing this era:

"We are witnesses of an era with heavy testimony and great responsibility. Along with all oppressed geographies, there is another place where our eyes, minds, and hearts are there every day: Palestine."

Stating that being Palestinian is a resistance that begins in the womb, Yılmaz emphasized that resistance means not only conflict but also preserving hope, joy, and memory.

As TÜRGEV, we continue to stand by Palestinian students. Our Board President conveyed our efforts towards Palestine with the following words:

"We provide accommodation and scholarship support to our Palestinian students, and we support the pens of young people who want to be the voice of Jerusalem with our 5N1KUDÜS project. With our newly launched 'Gaza Literacy' project, we aim to record the memory of Gaza as a new entry in the common conscience of humanity."

"Our lives and blood are sacrificed for you, O Aksa!"

In her speech, Yılmaz also shared a memory from the Palestinian marches she attended in her youth, expressing the place of Jerusalem in hearts with the following sentence:

"Bi’r-Ruh Bi’d-Dem Nefdike Ya Aksa! When that phrase was spoken, the word 'Aksa' would flutter in our hearts like a bird."

The spirit of Jerusalem reflected in every moment of the forum

The theater performance, religious music recital, award ceremony, and closing video presented throughout the program strongly showcased the youth's commitment to the Palestinian cause.