Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that if the UN Security Council fails to stop Israeli attacks in Gaza and Lebanon, the UN General Assembly should recommend the use of force in line with a resolution passed in 1950.
NATO member Turkey has condemned Israel’s devastating offensive in Gaza against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, and recent attacks targeting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. It has halted all trade with Israel and applied to join the genocide case against Israel at the World Court, which Israel has rejected.
“If the Security Council cannot show the necessary will, the UN General Assembly should swiftly implement the right to recommend the use of force, as it did in the 1950s for peace,” Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting in Ankara. “With a proposal to unite.”
The resolution states that if disagreements among the Security Council’s five permanent veto-wielding powers – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – mean they fail to maintain international peace, the UN General Assembly Can interfere.
The Security Council is the only UN body that can generally make legally binding decisions, such as authorizing the use of force and imposing sanctions.
Erdogan also said he was saddened to see Muslim countries failing to take a more active stance against Israel, urging them to take economic, diplomatic and political measures against Israel to pressure them into accepting a ceasefire.
“For the sake of peace for all in our region, from Muslims to Jews and Christians, we call on the international community and the Muslim world to unite,” Erdogan said. He said that if it is not stopped soon, Israel’s attacks will target Muslim countries as well.
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