Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş and Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç welcomed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as they hailed the U.N. court for siding with justice despite pressure.
ICC announced its decision, issued over war crimes and crimes against humanity tied to Israel's attacks in Gaza and the October 2023 incursion that spurred the country's genocidal offensive.
In a statement he posted on X, Kurtulmuş called the arrest warrant a “historic step” that challenged Israel’s immunity.
“This decision is a result of the side of humanity’s support for the oppressed Palestinian people,” he said, adding that justice and conscience will ultimately defeat Israel’s oppression and barbarity.
Kurtulmuş also said it was necessary for the suspension of Israel’s U.N. membership over its genocidal apartheid practices until it abides by U.N. Security Council resolutions.
For his part, the justice minister said the Israeli authorities, who indiscriminately massacred Palestinians, including women and children, injured hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and forcefully displaced millions of others in a systematic manner, should stand trial as soon as possible for their war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Tunç noted that the ICC warrant is a long-delayed positive step toward ending the bloodshed in Palestine.
“Countries and international mechanisms that have faith in democracy and human rights should immediately mobilize and do whatever is necessary to ensure that baby killers receive the punishment they deserve,” Tunç said.
He continued by saying that Türkiye would continue to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and continue efforts in this regard until they freely live in their own country with dignity.
