Turkey urges UNSC for full Palestinian UN membership
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Palestine is still only an observer state in the United Nations, meaning it cannot vote in the General Assembly.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a news conference about the aggression on Gaza and pressure to reduce civilian casualties, December 8, 2023, in Washington, DC, the United States. (AP)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urged Saturday the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to break free from US influence and grant Palestine full membership at the UN.
Speaking at the opening of an extraordinary meeting of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, Fidan emphasized the urgent need for international action.
"At some point, Palestine will become a full member of the UN, and we are making this appeal to the countries of the world. The UN Security Council must stop being held hostage by one country and listen to us," Fidan stated. He highlighted the necessity of international solidarity and justice for Palestine.
Fidan went on to accuse the Israeli occupation of violating numerous international laws and committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7. "Israel has violated every conceivable norm of international law and committed war crimes in the Gaza Strip since October 7," he asserted.
The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, comprising Turkey, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Pakistan, convened the meeting to address pressing international issues, including the Palestinian bid for UN membership.
The Turkish Foreign Minister's remarks follow a controversial veto by the United States in April. The United States vetoed a decision to award Palestine full membership status in the United Nations after it was proposed by Algeria.
Washington lobbied several nations to vote against the proposal, this past week, however, its efforts failed to produce the sought-after results, as 12 nations in the UNSC voted for awarding Palestine full membership status.
Two other nations abstained from voting, including Switzerland and the United Kingdom, leaving the US stranded with only no vote in the UNSC. Being a permanent member of the UNSC, a US no-vote would nullify any proposal, even if it had garnered the full backing of all other members. France's representative in the UN said that the country backed the proposal after it was reported that Paris abstained from voting.
