Istanbul, 05 Dec 2023 (Anadolu News)

Israel will be held accountable for all oppression it has caused in Palestine since World War II, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday, adding that there would be “no escape” from this.

“The more the Israeli administration escalates its oppression, the heavier the price it will pay,” Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.

“Israeli rulers will sooner or later be tried in the court of humanity, suffer the punishment they deserve, and take their place in dustbin of history,” he added.

Erdogan also criticized the US and Europe for their “unlimited support” to Israel, saying that, had they not given their backing, “rulers of this terrorist state could not act recklessly.”

The West has clearly demonstrated that it only cares about its prosperity, and is complicit in the brutality in Gaza, acting solely on its inherent barbaric instincts, Erdogan said.

“Institutions like the UN Security Council, displaying their impotence, have strayed from being the common roof of humanity,” said Erdogan, adding that “sincere support” from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also been thwarted by permanent members.

“To mercilessly kill innocent children, women, unarmed, and helpless people with the world’s most modern war machines is wretchedness exclusive to cowardly leaders like those in Israel.

“It is certain that Israel, with its trembling heart and legs in the face of a handful of civilians in Gaza, will be shattered when confronted with a real army, a real power. We hope that the Israeli government gathers its senses before such a painful fate becomes necessary,” the Turkish president said.

The only way to bring peace to the region is through the establishment of an independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders, he added.

Israel resumed its military offensive on the Palestinian territory on Friday after the end of a weeklong humanitarian pause with the Palestinian group Hamas.

At least 16,248 Palestinians have been killed and more than 43,616 others injured in relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave since Oct. 7 following a cross-border attack by Hamas.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stood at 1,200, according to official figures.

Japanese Premier Fumio Kishida on Wednesday called on his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to calm down the situation as soon as possible to minimize civilian casualties and to act by international law, including international humanitarian law.

In a phone call, Kishida also urged against a “constant” increase in civilian casualties, according to a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Kishida said Tokyo supports a “two-state solution” and that “it is important for Israel and Palestine to live side by side in peace.”

Netanyahu, for his part, explained Israel’s “position on its military actions in the Gaza Strip,” the statement added.

Israel resumed its military offensive on the Palestinian territory on Friday after the end of a weeklong humanitarian pause with the Palestinian group Hamas.

Netanyahu in his talks with Kishida also expressed “concerns about the frequent attacks against vessels in the Red Sea and other areas.”

Expressing his “deep” concern about the attacks, Kishida “unequivocally” condemned acts that impeded free and safe navigation of vessels, including the “seizure” of a Japan-related vessel.

“The two leaders concurred to continue close communication and cooperation on the situation in the Middle East, including in the Gaza Strip,” the statement concluded.

Kishida met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog last week on the sidelines of a climate conference in the United Arab Emirates.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the Security Council Wednesday that the war in the Gaza Strip “may aggravate existing threats to international peace and security.”

Invoking Article 99 of the UN Charter for the first time since he became the organization’s top official in 2017, Guterres said in a letter to the Council: “More than eight weeks of hostilities in Gaza and Israel have created appalling human suffering, physical destruction and collective trauma across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

The current conditions are making it impossible for “meaningful humanitarian operations” to be conducted, he added.

“We are facing a severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system. The situation is fast deteriorating into a catastrophe with potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region.

“Such an outcome must be avoided at all cost,” he added.

Guterres also highlighted that civilians throughout Gaza face “grave danger”, and health care system in Gaza is collapsing.

“Nowhere is safe in Gaza,” he reiterated.

The international community has a responsibility to use all its influence to prevent escalation and end this crisis, the chief added.

“I urge the Security Council to press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. I reiterate my appeal for a humanitarian cease-fire to be declared. This is urgent,” Guterres said.