ISTANBUL: Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday praised the “courageous decision” of the International Criminal Court to seek the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
“In order to restore humanity’s confidence in the international system, we consider it important that all countries that are parties to the agreement implement this courageous decision”, the Turkish official media TRT world quoted Erdogan as saying at the 4th International NGO Fair on Saturday.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Gaza conflict.
In his speech, Turkish President accused international organisations and the media of turning a blind eye to crimes against humanity in Palestine, Lebanon, and other regions.
He criticised countries that claim to champion democracy and human rights for supporting Israel instead of working to stop massacres and genocide.
“The blood of Palestinians stains not only their killers but also those who remain silent,” Erdogan said, expressing his frustration with global inaction.
Erdogan also called on the Islamic world to adopt a united stance and act together in defence of Palestinian rights.
“As the Islamic world, we should put aside our differences of opinion and take a common stance and act united,” he remarked, reaffirming Turkiye’s commitment to protecting Jerusalem under an international security framework.
The International Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes in Gaza.
Issuing the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, the ICC said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe they bore “criminal responsibility” for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare, and crimes against humanity, including the lack of food, water, electricity, fuel, and specific medical supplies.
Reacting to the ICC verdict, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his country will abide by an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said Friday Netanyahu would be arrested if he set foot in the country.
