UDPATE - Netanyahu, like Hitler, must be stopped by alliance of humanity: President Erdogan

ADDS MORE REMARKS OF TURKISH PRESIDENT

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday urged the international community to stop Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as it did generations ago with Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

"Israel's attitude has once again shown that it is essential for the international community to develop a protection mechanism for Palestinian civilians," Erdogan said in his address to the 79th UN General Assembly meeting in New York.

"Just as Hitler was stopped by the alliance of humanity 70 years ago, Netanyahu and his murder network must be stopped by the alliance of humanity.”

Before his address, Erdogan expressed pleasure at seeing the representative for Palestine at the UN, in the place "he deserves among the member states, after lengthy struggles."

He added: "I wish this historic step to be the last stage on the way to Palestine's membership in the United Nations. I also invite other states, that have not yet done so, to recognize the state of Palestine as soon as possible and take their place on the right side of history at this very critical period.”

Erdogan said he is the leader of a country that is not far from the tensions, but right in "their epicenter."

"Even if some feel uncomfortable, even if some will once again criticize us, I wish to speak out certain truths openly today, in the name of humanity, from the common rostrum of humanity," he said.

The president criticized the UN, which is struggling to fulfill its founding mission and is "gradually turning into a dysfunctional, unwieldy and inert structure."

"We witness that international peace and security are too important to be left to the arbitrariness of the privileged five," he added.

Erdogan has long pushed for reforms to the UN, often using the slogan “The world is bigger than five,” referring to the Security Council’s unrepresentative membership.

- 'Not only children; UN system also dying in Gaza'

Turning to the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip, Erdogan said more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since last Oct. 7, when Israel launched its relentless offensive.

More than 17,000 children have been the targets of Israeli bullets and bombs, he said.

"As a result of Israel’s attacks, Gaza has become the world’s largest cemetery for children and women."

Hundreds of Gazan children have died so far because they were not able to find a bite of dry bread, a sip of water or a bowl of soup, and they are still dying, Erdogan said.

"Not only children are dying in Gaza; the United Nations system is also dying, the truth is dying, the values that the west claims to defend are dying, the hopes of humanity to live in a fairer world are dying one by one," he stressed.