Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief İbrahim Kalın rejected describing what is happening in Palestine as a “Palestinian problem,” stressing that occupation is at the root of the crisis. He made the remarks while participating in the TRT World Forum 2026, hosted in Istanbul under the theme “A World Without a Center: Who Leads When the Rules Fall?”
Kalın said: “We always say ‘the Palestinian problem’ as if the problem is the Palestinians. This is not true; the problem is the occupation. There will be no solution, peace or justice in the Middle East without ending the occupation.”
Speaking from the forum platform in the video, Kalın said the region’s future cannot be separated from the story and memory of Palestine, adding that any attempt to find a solution must begin with acknowledging the reality of the occupation.
A unified Turkish message on Gaza
Kalın’s remarks came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s address at the forum’s opening. Erdoğan said Gaza was witnessing “the largest genocide in modern history” and that the peace agreement in Gaza, whose signing Türkiye helped facilitate, was not being implemented, criticizing the inaction of international institutions.
Kalın has served as chief of the National Intelligence Organization since 2023. Before that, he was a spokesman for the Turkish presidency for years and participated in several diplomatic initiatives concerning the region, including the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in October 2025.
Video: TRT World Forum. Cover image: Wikimedia Commons (archive)