The international community cannot remain silent in the face of persistent Israeli violations of international law, Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus said on Friday.
Addressing a meeting of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament in Rome, Kurtulmus said: “We cannot let impunity go unpunished.”
Kurtulmus called upon the international community to take concrete steps to uphold international law.
The erosion of the rules-based international order is starkly reflected in the years-long humanitarian catastrophe and genocide in Gaza, he said.
“We can no longer turn a blind eye to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the wider region and the blatant human rights violations and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Israeli government against the people of Palestine,” he urged.
“This is not merely a political question but also a test for the humanity’s common conscience,” he said.
Underlining that the Israeli aggression is not confined to Gaza, Kurtulmus said: “Destruction, displacement, and settlers’ violence persist in the West Bank, and Israel continues to threaten the territorial integrity and sovereignty of regional countries, including Syria and Lebanon.”
It is imperative that parliaments step up and assume an active role to help put an immediate end to the suffering of the Gazan people and the violations of international humanitarian law, he stressed.
Kurtulmus called on parliaments to take an active role in urgently ending the suffering of the people of Gaza and violations of international humanitarian law.
“We believe that coordinated action by parliaments can strengthen international efforts to uphold international law and confront persistent violations,” he added.
International order fails to prevent conflicts
The current international order has proven its inability to prevent conflicts and wars, even in Europe’s immediate territory, according to Kurtulmus.
“The war between Russia and Ukraine, continuing for almost five years now, has turned to a war of attrition affecting all of Europe rather than a conflict between two nations,” he said.
Moreover, the international order has failed to stop the genocide perpetrated by the Israeli government in Gaza for more than three years, Kurtulmus said.
Kurtulmus warned that the rules-based international order is suffering a profound erosion in terms of legitimacy and function.
He highlighted that to build a fairer and more credible international order, parliaments must play an active role in shaping, debating, and supporting the new rules and arrangements required for this purpose.
“This is where parliamentary diplomacy becomes particularly important. It can complement traditional diplomacy, keep communication channels open, and when necessary create new ones,” he added.
“Placing the entire burden of resolving crises on the UN and relying solely on UN reform will not yield results.”