Turkish president condemns Israeli premier's presence at UN, urging action against Tel Aviv

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) –Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s presence at the UN General Assembly, which he considered a "shame.”

‘It is truly a source of shame that a criminal (Netanyahu), who committed genocide in Palestine, can take his place under the roof of the UN. This is a betrayal of the memories of the babies, children, mothers, fathers, UN officials, journalists, and many others who have been brutally murdered,” Erdogan told reporters Wednesday at the Turkish House in New York.

Netanyahu departed for New York in the early hours of Thursday, the Prime Minister's Office said. The Israeli premier is expected to address the 79th session of the UN General Assembly on Friday, according to local media.

“The UN General Assembly will either treat the murderer (Netanyahu) as he deserves or this shameful situation will go down in UN history as a black mark,” he added.

The UN is in a position where it is unable to fulfill its mission to prevent wars, unable to protect even its own officials, and unable to hold Israel to account for killing them, Erdogan said.

He also stressed the UN has lost its functionality and become a structure that guards a system in which "might is right."

Israel has pounded Lebanon since Monday morning, killing at least 677 people and injuring over 2,500 others, according to figures released by the Health Ministry.

Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed more than 41,500 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.

The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of spreading the Gaza conflict regionally.

- Bilateral talks at UN

Regarding his address to the General Assembly, Erdogan said he shared views on key issues that are significant for maintaining global peace and security.

“In the case of Gaza, I clearly expressed once again that the current international system and institutions have failed to fulfill their primary duties. I pointed out that it is possible for humanity to live in a much fairer world that listens to the voices of the oppressed," he said.

Erdogan held a series of bilateral meetings in New York with world leaders such as the German chancellor, Ukrainian president, Greek premier, and UN secretary-general.

These meetings, Erdogan said, were focused on bilateral cooperation issues and the various crises in the region, with particular emphasis on the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Underlining the need for an increase in aid to Palestine before winter, he also urged all countries to intensify pressure on Israel.

“Israel is indeed resorting to every means to spread the fire in Gaza throughout the region, just as we have warned for months. The attacks on Lebanon are the latest example of this. Over 600 Lebanese have been massacred in the past week,” he said.

“As the world remains silent and the Western countries continue to provide military support to the Israeli administration, these massacres will unfortunately continue. We highlighted this danger in our talks,” he added.

Referring Israel’s recent attacks on Lebanon, Erdogan said there is a serious trauma occurring in Lebanon.

The Turkish president said he is following the evacuation process in southern Lebanon. “It really gives pains to us. Our region is facing such a cruel and terrible picture. We are talking about Lebanon, which has a population of six million. Where will these people escape to?”

Some 13,500 Syrians have left Lebanon for Syria since the start of Israeli airstrikes on Monday, the Lebanese interior minister said on Thursday.

Several countries urged their citizens to leave Lebanon and strongly advised against traveling the country till further notice.

The US, EU, and nine other nations called on Israel and Hezbollah late Wednesday to agree to a 21-day cease-fire amid an escalation in their cross-border warfare.

Netanyahu, however, denied media reports that he agreed to the proposed cease-fire, saying that he ordered his army to keep striking Lebanon with full force.