Provisional measures ordered by top UN court 'must be implemented' by Israel: Turkish deputy foreign minister

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - To stop further atrocities and enable unhindered access to humanitarian aid, the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) "must be implemented" by Israel, Türkiye's deputy foreign minister said on Tuesday.

"Ongoing indiscriminate and barbaric Israeli attacks in Gaza have eroded international community’s faith in rules-based international system," Ahmet Yildiz said during his speech at the 55th Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Stressing that Israel’s actions have turned into a "collective punishment" of Palestinian civilians, Yildiz said: "UN Security Council has failed to end the Israeli atrocities, illegal occupation of the Palestinian territory, and ongoing grave breaches of international law."

"Provisional measures ordered by ICJ must be implemented by Israel to stop further atrocities and enable unhindered access to humanitarian aid," he said, and added: "Moral bankruptcy of some countries over Palestinian lives will have ramifications for years to come."

He called for an immediate cease-fire, unhindered access to humanitarian aid, release of all captives by both sides, and international recognition of the Palestinian state based on UN parameters as part and parcel of the two-state solution.

The deputy minister underlined that for lasting peace in the Middle East, the embodiment of an independent, sovereign, and contiguous Palestine based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital is "the only way."

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice over its deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has left nearly 30,000 people dead.

In an interim ruling in January, the Hague-based court ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.