Turkey backs ICC probe into Israel crimes, says official

Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop in Antalya, Turkey on March 25, 2021. [Orhan Çiçek - Anadolu Agency]

Turkey supports the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s investigation into war crimes carried out by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, Parliament Speaker, Mustafa Sentop, announced yesterday.

“We [Turkey] support this decision and all the possible steps that may be taken in this direction,” Sentop told reporters in the Pakistani capital city of Islamabad, adding that the recent Israeli attacks on East Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque and Gaza had “disturbed all of the over 2 billion Muslims all around the world.”

Sentop slammed the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for not being able to achieve a “lasting solution to the Palestine issue, despite its defining purpose being the protection of Jerusalem and Palestine.”

“Unfortunately, some Muslim countries either remain silent or do not raise their voices loud enough,” he said.

READ: World leaders rally in support of Israel war crimes probe by ICC

The Israeli official pointed out that Turkey had taken the “lead in opposing Israel’s recent attacks on Palestinians.”

“Diplomatic efforts were initiated and intensely pursued, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to raise a voice against the state terrorism of Israel and to make sure that those responsible are tried and punished,” he noted.

In March, the ICC said it would conduct “independent, impartial, and objective investigations” into crimes committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories. The move came a month after it announced that it had jurisdiction over crimes committed in the Palestinian territories.

ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said last month that the court may look into possible war crimes committed by Israel during it’s latest bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip.