22 May 2018•Update: 23 May 2018
By Oktay Ozden
ANTALYA, Turkey
Turkey on Tuesday welcomed Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki’s request to the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking an investigation into Israel’s alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Speaking at a ceremony in southern Antalya province, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said: “If Israel is not held accountable for its terrorizing [actions], its heedlessness will continue. Israel will account for [its actions].”
“We will make Israel accountable for [its actions] by meeting everyone around the globe,” he added.
On May 14, at least 65 unarmed Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza were martyred -- and thousands more injured -- by intense Israeli army gunfire.
The protests had coincided with the 70th anniversary of Israel's establishment in 1948 -- an event Palestinians refer to as the "The Catastrophe" -- and the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, which took place the same day.
“Today, our brother, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has taken, what Israel has done, to International Criminal Court. We will not stop pursuing this," he said.
Al-Maliki on Tuesday requested the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel’s settlement building and alleged war crimes.
Cavusoglu also noted: “We are working on which sanctions to apply on countries that will violate the Jerusalem’s statue and will move its embassy there [Jerusalem].”
“From now on, we will not stay quiet. We will not just condemn…from now on. We will take steps against them and we will prevent them from taking wrong steps,” the foreign minister added.
