 who collapsed on the parliament floor on Tuesday after criticizing the Turkish government’s policy on the Israeli war against Palestinians has passed away at the age of 53, the SP announced.){kind=link}
A lawmaker from Turkey’s Islamist Felicity Party (SP) who collapsed on the parliament floor on Tuesday after criticizing the Turkish government’s policy on the Israeli war against Palestinians has passed away at the age of 53, the SP announced.
The party made the announcement about lawmaker Hasan Bitmez’s death on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday. Bitmez was also the SP’s deputy chairman. He had been in intensive care at an Ankara hospital since Tuesday, after he collapsed and received CPR in parliament because his heart had stopped.
BAŞIMIZ SAĞ OLSUN!
Genel Başkan Yardımcımız ve Kocaeli Milletvekilimiz Hasan Bitmez, Hakk'a yürümüştür. Kendisine Allah’tan rahmet; ailesine, camiamıza ve aziz milletimize başsağlığı diliyoruz. pic.twitter.com/hPjaLmt28V
— Saadet Partisi (@SaadetPartisi) December 14, 2023
Bitmez collapsed at the podium after delivering a fervent speech in which he criticized Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza and the Turkish government’s alleged support for Israel.
He accused the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government of having “endless love for Israel” and contributing to “every bomb dropped by Israel.”
He also accused Israel of “crimes against humanity” and “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians before collapsing at the end of his speech.
Israeli media outlets such as The Jerusalem Post, Ynetnews and The Times of Israel reported extensively on Bitmez’s remarks about Israel and his condition.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry official, Emmanuel Nahshon, the deputy director general for public diplomacy, commented about Bitmez’s condition on X with a tweet in Turkish.
İsrail'den nefret etmek sigara içmek gibidir; bağımlılık yapar ama sağlığınız için gerçekten kötüdür… 🇹🇷🇮🇱😊 https://t.co/weXZcnzr5o
— Emmanuel Nahshon (@EmmanuelNahshon) December 12, 2023
Nahshon, who posted a video of Bitmez’s anti-Israel speech and his collapse, said hating Israel is like smoking, it is addictive and bad for one’s health.
The official X account of the State of Israel liked Nahshon’s tweet, leading to criticism among some social media users.
Some lawmakers from the AKP also blamed Bitmez’s condition on his speech and “God’s wrath,” according to minutes of the parliamentary session reported by the BBC, due to his accusations aimed at the AKP.
After Palestinian militant organization Hamas launched attacks on southern Israel from the Palestinian enclave of Gaza on October 7 that killed 1,200 people and resulted in the taking of 240 hostages, Israel retaliated by pounding Gaza, leading to more than 18,000 casualties.
Although President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan uses strong rhetoric against Israel, accusing it of committing war crimes in Gaza, his government is criticized for not cutting off diplomatic and commercial relations with Israel.
An investigation by Turkish journalist Metin Cihan has recently revealed that business between Turkish companies and Israel continues as usual despite Ankara’s harsh rhetoric towards Israel.
Cihan shares the results of his investigation on X, citing data from open sources.
The SP is one of the strongest supporters of the Palestinian cause in Turkey.
Bitmez was elected to parliament from the SP in the May general election. An official funeral ceremony was held for him in the Turkish Parliament on Thursday. He will be laid to rest in İstanbul following prayers at the Fatih Mosque on Friday.
