Turkey welcomes UN resolution to probe Israeli violations

ANKARA

Turkey on Friday welcomed a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council (OHCHR) calling for the urgent establishment of an international independent investigation commission to probe Israel's human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories.

“We see this decision as an important step towards making Israeli authorities accountable in the international arena for its crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories, in particular the excessive, disproportionate and illegal use of force against the Palestinian people without discrimination,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Turkey is ready to provide all kinds of support to the activities of the commission, the statement added.

The special session of the council, which was called to discuss the "serious human rights situation" in the occupied Palestinian territories, ended on Thursday with the adoption of the resolution put forward by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) coordinator, Pakistan, and the Palestinian state.

The council "decides to urgently establish an ongoing independent, international commission of inquiry, to be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council, to investigate in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel,” said the resolution.

The commission will investigate "all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law leading up to and since 13 April 2021, and all underlying root causes of recurrent tensions, instability, and protraction of conflict, including systematic discrimination and repression based on national, ethnic, racial or religious identity," it added.

The resolution was adopted by 24 votes, with nine countries voting against and 14 abstaining.

Countries that voted no included Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Malawi, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay, arguing that this would be an unprecedented ongoing investigation.

ANKARA

Turkey is ready to provide all kinds of support to the activities of the commission, the statement added.

The resolution was adopted by 24 votes, with nine countries voting against and 14 abstaining.

Countries that voted no included Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Malawi, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay, arguing that this would be an unprecedented ongoing investigation.