Turkey files lawsuit against Netanyahu with ICC over Gaza genocide
3 Min Read
Attorney Metin Kulunk has presented the case against Netanyahu through the Turkish Ministry of Justice.
-
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the Arab League Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 11, 2023. (AFP)
The governing Justice and Development Party attorneys said on Tuesday that Turkey has filed a case against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing him of committing genocide against the Palestinians.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed to reporters on November 4 that Turkey is no longer considering Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as its "interlocutor", but the head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization, Ibrahim Kalin, remains in contact with "Israel".
Attorney Metin Kulunk posted on X: "Today... we have filed a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court in The Hague against the Hitler of the 21st century of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who must stand trial for the genocide he committed in the Gaza Strip and all crimes against humanity."
Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) member Metin Kulunk, Lawyers Mücahit Birinci and Burak Bekiroğlu urge Türkiye government to to file a lawsuit against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the International Criminal Court (ICC)
— LankaFiles (@lankafiles) November 14, 2023
“WE DID OUR DUTY” @burakbekiroglu pic.twitter.com/nNV7MYuJix
Kulunk revealed the first of the lawsuit's twenty-three pages and explained that, together with two other attorneys, he filed the case through the Turkish Ministry of Justice, which would forward the file to the International Criminal Court.
On Sunday, Erdogan slammed the United Nations and its Security Council, deeming them ineffective in addressing the mounting humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Erdogan called for a reform of the UN's permanent membership and veto systems, expressing dissatisfaction with the current structure where one member's incorrect actions can hinder meaningful outcomes.
He accused the UN of disregarding the suffering of Gazans and emphasized the need for a more equitable system that doesn't leave the fate of the world in the hands of a few countries with veto power.
"The UN has become ineffective. That is to say, even the UN Security Council cannot achieve any results. If one Council member acts incorrectly then nothing happens," he said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Erdogan stated that any agreement between Turkey and the United States regarding the Gaza Strip is impossible if Washington considers it part of Israeli territory. He stressed that Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, and the US must recognize this for any agreement to be feasible.
Erdogan expressed reluctance to call President Joe Biden, suggesting that the US needs to acknowledge the rightful ownership of Gaza by the Palestinian people.
In a similar context, Ione Belarra, a left-wing Spanish minister, posted a video to X, in which she condemned the Israeli occupation, citing the thousands of individuals "brutally killed by 'Israel'."
"Today it's #Palestine, tomorrow it could be anyone."
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 15, 2023
Spanish Minister of Social Rights, Ione Belarra, accuses the Israeli occupation of committing a "live genocide" against Palestinians and calls for bringing Netanyahu and his political leadership to justice before the #ICC.… pic.twitter.com/ScfDvSxCNu
According to Belarra, "We are witnessing a live Genocide," adding that she did not want to be complicit. "If you don't stop brutality in time, it drags you along with it," she stressed
She continued, "Today it's the Palestinians, tomorrow it could be anyone," citing that more than 60 parliamentarians from across Europe and Latin America are taking Netanyahu and his political leadership to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
