Türkiye's efforts on the legal side in support of Palestinians took a new turn on Wednesday when Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that Ankara would officially participate in a case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) launched by South Africa against Israel.
Fidan was speaking at a joint news conference in the capital Ankara with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi.
He stated that only two countries, Nicaragua and Colombia, have taken concrete steps on the matter so far and applied to the international court.
“We presented our assessment to Mr. President and today, I am declaring Türkiye’s political decision to that extent. We hope the current process before the ICJ will proceed properly,” he said.
Fidan noted that Ankara has been working on the application and it would soon conclude the legal framework on the issue. “Once the legal text is drafted, we will present our formal application,” he said.
Fidan added that they will continue working with friendly countries and allies on what else can be done and to convince other countries to join them in the trial.
“Türkiye will always stand with the people of Palestine,” he stressed.
Türkiye has been a staunch defender of the Palestinian cause and continues diplomatic and legal efforts to resolve the conflict.
A delegation of 15 legal experts from Türkiye recently presented a file to The Hague listing Israel’s war crimes. They cited evidence obtained on-site from Gaza, including notarized testimonies from the injured, civilians living there interviewed by phone and information from journalists who currently serve in the enclave and witness Israeli attacks firsthand.
In its case before the ICJ, South Africa accused Israel of perpetuating genocide in the Gaza Strip. In that case, the court called on Israel to do everything in its power to prevent genocide and recently ordered the country to "ensure urgent humanitarian assistance" in Gaza without delay.
Fidan said at the news conference on Wednesday that he wondered why the international community was still waiting before taking action in the midst of the situation in Gaza. “In the 21st century, people are dying of hunger in Gaza. Mass graves are found in places where Israeli troops withdrew. Women, children, patients, elderly are indiscriminately targeted. It is time to implement measures (forcing Israel to stop). Neither Palestinians, nor Türkiye, nor other countries in pursuit of justice will accept Israel’s attempt to besiege the people of Palestine and drive them out of their lands,” Fidan said.
“We are facing a choice. We will either side with laws and humanity or pay the price together for problems caused by this oppression. I once again warn countries endorsing Israel’s crimes and jeopardizing international system and security,” he added.
The minister noted that Israel should be tried for its attacks in Gaza. “We already welcomed South Africa’s application to the ICJ and President Erdoğan instructed us to explore paths to be involved in this case. We discussed it with our legal experts and launched a meticulous research process to be a part of the trial on the side of South Africa. We exchanged views with other countries on how to involve them in this process, to urge them to join (us),” he said.
He noted that more countries may take a stance on this issue, based on his observations at a recent summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League in Saudi Arabia on Gaza.
