Turkish President Erdogan criticizes nations’ inaction against Israel's 'genocidal policies'

By Gozde Bayar and Emre Basaran

ANKARA / ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday criticized countries that have not taken action against Israel's "genocidal policies" in Gaza.

"Have you seen those, who constantly lecture the rest of humanity on rights and law, taking actions against Israel's genocidal policies?" Erdogan said in an event marking International Women's Day in the metropolis Istanbul.

Taking aim at those who dare to teach humanity about human rights, Erdogan said they "never bring up the harassment, violence, discrimination and unfair practices against women in their own neighborhoods."

Israel has waged a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, 2023. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed over 30,800 people and injured more than 72,000 others with mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Erdogan also called attention to Türkiye's achievements towards gender equality, pointing out that female representation in the country's decision-making mechanisms had increased "four to five times," while the number of employed women has risen from 6 million to 10.5 million.

The number of women lawmakers in Türkiye's parliament reached its highest level in history in the last elections, when 121 women secured seats in the 600-member legislature.