Turkish parliament speaker hails ICC issuing arrest warrants for Israeli premier, ex-defense minister

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye’s parliament speaker on Thursday welcomed the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a former defense minister, calling it a sign that “the protective shield” on top Israeli officials will finally end.

"The arrest warrant is hopeful for the future of humanity as it is a sign that the protective shield over Netanyahu and his gang will be lifted,” Numan Kurtulmus said on X.

The Hague court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, defense minister during most of Israel’s relentless war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, is a “step of historical importance,” he said.

"After the International Court of Justice's ruling, Israel, which was believed to be untouchable because of this decision, has been touched. This decision is the result of the support given to the innocent and oppressed Palestinian people by the 'humanity front’,” said Kurtulmus.

Calling on the global community to suspend Israel's UN membership due to its genocidal apartheid practices, Kurtulmus said that conscience and justice will win, while oppression and barbarity will lose.

On Thursday, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

The warrants come as Israel’s genocidal offensive in Gaza recently entered its second year, having already killed some 44,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured over 103,000 others.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing and deliberate blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, pushing the population to the brink of starvation.