Ankara welcomes ICC investigation into Israeli war crimes committed in Palestine
"It is essential to bring Israel to account for the crimes committed in Palestine and the human rights violations it is responsible for and to provide international protection to Palestinians for ending the decades-long injustice in Palestine," Hami Aksoy -- Turkey's foreign ministry spokesman -- stressed in his comments during a press conference on Saturday.
- World
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 06:01 | 21 December 2019
- Modified Date: 01:27 | 22 December 2019
Turkey on Saturday welcomed the International Criminal Court's (ICC) probe into the war crimes committed in Palestine.
"It is essential to bring Israel to account for the crimes committed in Palestine and the human rights violations it is responsible for and to provide international protection to Palestinians for ending the decades-long injustice in Palestine," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in statement.
"Otherwise, Israel will continue to commit these crimes with impunity due to the unconditional support of some third countries," Aksoy added.
He urged the ICC to initiate an investigation into this blatant support of Israeli violations of international law.
Fatou Bensouda, chief prosecutor of ICC, said Friday there is reasonable basis to investigate alleged war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.
"In brief, I am satisfied that war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip," she said in a statement, without naming Israel.
Palestinians have long sought to carve out their own nation in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip -- territory captured by Israel in the 1967 war -- as a way to end decades of tensions.
The two-state solution has long had broad international support, including from the U.S., until President Donald Trump came to power in 2017 and made a series of pro-Israel policy shifts.