Ankara will make an oral presentation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as part of the advisory opinion on determining Israel's obligations towards the United Nations, other international organizations and third states in the occupied Palestinian territories, Parliament's Justice Committee chief Cüneyt Yüksel said on Thursday.
Yüksel, speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), reiterated that the ICJ asked for an advisory view on the obligations. Recalling that Türkiye submitted its written opinion to the court in accordance with the second paragraph of Article 66 of the Statute of the ICJ, Yüksel said that 45 member states and international organizations, along with Türkiye, submitted written opinions within this framework prepared in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry and Parliament’s legal team. The written statement underlined that Israel’s attacks against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) hindered the effective distribution of humanitarian aid to local people. It further added that Israel’s attempt to close the UNRWA is against the U.N. Charter and the 1946 Convention on Privileges and Immunities.
He added that the hearings would begin on April 28.
“Türkiye is highlighting that Israel’s stance against the UNRWA is not limited to the latest attacks. Since its establishment, Israel has taken a stance toward obstructing UNRWA’s humanitarian aid and services in the region,” Yüksel said. “Türkiye underlines that attacks against UNRWA buildings, schools and aid facilities are a violation of international law and U.N. agreements.”
The U.N. agency is a lifeline for nearly 6 million Palestinian refugees under its charge across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. But the UNRWA has long been a lightning rod for harsh Israeli criticism, which ramped up dramatically after Hamas's attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparked the devastating war in Gaza.
“Türkiye stresses that Israel's impunity policies increase the suffering of the Palestinian people and weaken international law and the humanitarian law system, and demands that the International Court of Justice take effective measures,” Yüksel pointed out.
NATO member Türkiye has been a traditional ally to Palestine, but the more brutal Israeli attacks became, the harsher Ankara has made its criticism in the past year. It has condemned what it calls genocide, halted all trade with Israel and applied to join a genocide case against Israel at the world court, which Israel rejects.
"Türkiye, which is actively involved in the new advisory opinion process aimed at determining Israel's obligations towards the U.N., other international organizations and third states in the occupied Palestinian territories, once again demonstrates its historical and unwavering support for the Palestinian cause,” Yüksel concluded.
Israel's nearly 20-year blockade has turned Gaza into the world's largest prison, leaving 1.5 million of its 2.4 million residents homeless amid deliberate shortages of food, water and medicine following a genocide.
A cease-fire and prisoner exchange agreement, which took hold in January, has halted Israel's genocidal onslaught on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,500 victims, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
