The United Nations' call to Israel and Palestine to return to negotiations is positive, but insufficient, said Turkey's Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop Sunday.
"While the U.N.'s call for an end to the conflict between Israel and Palestine and to return to negotiations for a two-state solution is positive, it is not a sufficient step," he said in a post on Twitter.
His remarks came after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in an address at the U.N. Security Council (UNSC), called on the two sides to end the "senseless cycle of bloodshed, terror and destruction" and return to negotiations for a two-state solution.
"The U.N. should immediately put Israel's civilian massacres, state terror and crimes against humanity on its agenda," Şentop urged.
Later in the day, he also voiced disappointment at the world's silence in the face of Israel's state terrorism, crimes against humanity and their killing of infants and children.
In another statement, the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) spokesperson Ömer Çelik said that the U.N. should end such meaningless calls.
"They make equal calls to those who kill children and those whose children are killed. This is political hypocrisy," he said on Twitter.
"This kind of statement is nothing more than encouraging Israel to do more persecution," Çelik added.
The death toll from Israeli attacks on the blockaded Gaza Strip Sunday rose to 197, including 58 children and 34 women, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The recent tensions that started in East Jerusalem in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan spread to Gaza after Palestinian resistance groups there vowed to retaliate against Israeli assaults on Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood if they were not halted.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.
As Israeli violence and oppression against the Palestinians continue, Turkey has intensified diplomatic efforts to put an end to Israeli aggression.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu Sunday spoke to his Qatari, Palestinian and Pakistani counterparts to discuss the evolving situation in Palestine.
In separate phone calls, the top diplomat discussed the latest developments in Palestine and steps to be taken in the international arena, according to diplomatic sources.
He made phone calls to Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, following the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) executive committee meeting.
In the meeting, Çavuşoğlu had said that Israel is the only party responsible for the ongoing tensions with the Palestinians and the humanitarian crisis in the region and must be held accountable for its crimes.
"It is time to show unity and determination. The Ummah expects leadership from us. Turkey is ready to take every necessary step," he added.
Please click to read our informative text prepared pursuant to the Law on the Protection of Personal Data No. 6698 and to get information about the cookies used on our website in accordance with the relevant legislation.
6698 sayılı Kişisel Verilerin Korunması Kanunu uyarınca hazırlanmış aydınlatma metnimizi okumak ve sitemizde ilgili mevzuata uygun olarak kullanılan çerezlerle ilgili bilgi almak için lütfen tıklayınız.
