Turkish Leader Praises UN Court Ruling on Israel over War in Gaza

 Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint press conference with Iranian president joint press conference in Ankara, on January 24, 2024. (AFP)
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint press conference with Iranian president joint press conference in Ankara, on January 24, 2024. (AFP)
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Turkish Leader Praises UN Court Ruling on Israel over War in Gaza

 Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint press conference with Iranian president joint press conference in Ankara, on January 24, 2024. (AFP)
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint press conference with Iranian president joint press conference in Ankara, on January 24, 2024. (AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the International Court of Justice’s decision as “valuable.”

Türkiye would continue seeking to “ensure that war crimes committed against innocent Palestinian civilians do not go unpunished,” he added, writing on X, formerly Twitter.

“We hope that Israel’s attacks against women, children and the elderly will come to an end,” Erdogan said.

Ankara has strongly criticized Israel’s operation in Gaza, alleging war crimes and human rights abuses.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement it expected the decision to be “immediately and fully implemented by Israel.”

Israel must prevent genocidal acts in Gaza and allow humanitarian aid into the territory, the UN's top court ruled Friday, in a closely watched decision that stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.

The International Court of Justice was not deciding whether Israel was actually committing genocide with its military campaign in Gaza -- that process will likely take several years.

The case was brought by South Africa, which has accused Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention.



Cyprus Says US Decree on Security Affirms Island's Stabilizing Role in Region

Nicosia, Cyprus | Photo: Getty Images
Nicosia, Cyprus | Photo: Getty Images
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Cyprus Says US Decree on Security Affirms Island's Stabilizing Role in Region

Nicosia, Cyprus | Photo: Getty Images
Nicosia, Cyprus | Photo: Getty Images

Cyprus on Thursday hailed a US memorandum allowing military sales, including arms, to the island as a milestone affirming recognition of the island as a pillar of stability in the east Mediterranean region which has been fraught with conflict.
US President Joe Biden boosted security ties with Cyprus on Wednesday by issuing a memorandum that makes the island eligible to receive American defense articles, military sales and training.
Cyprus has over the years played a key role in evacuating people out of conflict zones and established a maritime corridor for aid to war-ravaged Gaza last year.
"This (memorandum) is a clear recognition of the Republic of Cyprus as a pillar of stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean, with the potential to further contribute to peace and the management of humanitarian challenges," the Cypriot presidency said in a statement.
Cyprus was close to Russia for decades, but there has been a marked shift in allegiances in recent years, Reuters said.
For many in Cyprus, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has drawn parallels to Türkiye’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and Cyprus, an EU member state, has followed its peers in adopting sanctions on Moscow. It is now getting FBI expertise in countering illicit finance.
Access to the US programs would enable greater interoperability to respond to regional humanitarian crises, counter malign influence, and combat terrorism and transnational organized crime, the US embassy in Nicosia said.
Deepening US-Cyprus relations are closely followed by Türkiye, which in September criticized the signing of a roadmap to boost defense co-operation between the United States and Cyprus.
Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion following a brief Greek-inspired coup in 1974, following years of sporadic violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots which triggered the collapse of a power-sharing administration in 1963.