PodcastIconic liberation activist at HDP congress: Long live Palestine, long live Kurdistan!
Iconic member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Leila Khaled said at the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) congress that the Palestinian people and the Kurdish people are members of the same struggle. "Our people have embraced your party, our people are elevating the party. We struggle together against Zionism, against imperialism and bigotry," said Khaled Feb. 23.
Duvar English
Iconic liberation activist Leila Khaled stated at the Democratic Peoples' Party (HDP) congress that the people of Palestine and the Kurdish people are part of the same struggle.
"Our people have embraced your party, our people are elevating the party. We struggle together against Zionism, against imperialism and bigotry," said the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) member best known for her part in two plane hijackings in the early 70s.
"Long live Palestine, long live Kurdistan," Khaled said at the end of her speech, cementing her message of unity between the two peoples.
Turkey's pro-Kurdish HDP elects Pervin Buldan, Mithat Sancar as co-chairsGreetings from one jailed politician to another
Khaled also relayed greetings from "the people of Palestine who are occupied by Zionism and the United States forces" to the audience.
"I've brought greetings from comrades held hostage in the dungeons of Palestine, to the comrades resisting in your prisons," said Khaled, underlining the union of the two peoples.
Khaled conveyed greetings from former PFLP General Secretary Ahmad Sa'adat to former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, from Palestinian Legislative Council member Khalida Jarrar to Abdullah Öcalan, founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, all of whom are political prisoners.
A message to Erdoğan, Trump and Netanyahu
Khaled also commented on U.S. President Donald Trump's "Plan of the Century" to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that the U.S. government and Israel were "still invading Palestinian land."
"This is a plan to dissolve the Palestinian cause. We're calling out to Trump and Netanyahu: This project will never be realized, we will not allow it," Khaled said about the White House plan.
Noting once again the similarities between the Palestinian and Kurdish struggles, Khaled criticized Ankara's military operations in the mostly Kurdish-populated north of Syria.
"We stand united against international governments' terrorism. What is the Turkish army doing in Syria? Our kids are dying. I'll speak on your behalf: The people of Syria will be victorious against Erdoğan."