Türkiye will make its presentation on Israel’s attacks on Gaza at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as part of the advisory opinion on April 30, Parliament Justice Committee chief Cüneyt Yüksel said on Thursday.
Yüksel, in a press briefing, said that 40 states as well as four international institutions will make oral presentations starting from April 28.
“As the TBMM Legal Committee, we will go to The Hague and be at the International Court of Justice. We will make the oral presentation together with our Foreign Ministry. Our Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz will make the oral presentation at the International Court of Justice. In addition, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the U.N. general secretariat, the Arab League and the African Union will also participate in the oral presentations,” he pointed out.
Reiterating that the international community stayed silent in the face of the developments in Gaza, Yüksel underlined the importance of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees and that Israel’s attempted ban of the organization is a clear attack on international law.
“UNRWA’s services to Palestinian refugees are vital. The agency provides services in a variety of areas, including basic education, health services, social assistance, infrastructure and camp development, microfinance and emergency assistance.”
Yüksel further added that 417 humanitarian workers, including 294 U.N. personnel, have been killed since April 15.
He added that confirmation of UNRWA’s legal status by the highest judicial authority, the ICJ, would encourage the international community to increase its financial support for the agency and reduce the effects of Israel’s black propaganda campaign against UNRWA.
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.
“The role of the International Court of Justice in this process is of great importance not only from a legal perspective but also from a humanitarian perspective,” Yüksel emphasized.
“In order to eliminate the perception of impunity and ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable before justice, as a continuation of our ongoing genocide case and intervention process at the International Court of Justice, our active stance in presenting evidence and preparing files against the perpetrators in the International Criminal Court process. We will continue to contribute to the advisory opinion process of the International Court of Justice with an oral presentation to be made on April 30 to reveal the lawlessness of Netanyahu and his murder network, and we will make every effort to protect the supremacy of international law.”
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.
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.