Djibouti (Quds News Network)- More than 50 countries have called on the United Nations to impose an arms embargo on Israel over the ongoing assault in Gaza, with Turkey’s Foreign Minister saying that “selling arms to Israel means participating in its genocide.”
In a statement released on Sunday, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said it had submitted a letter to the United Nations, signed by 52 countries and two organizations, calling for a halt in arms deliveries to Israel.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in remarks also confirmed the move and accused countries exporting weapons to Israel of complicity in genocide.
“We have written a joint letter calling on all countries to stop the sale of arms and ammunition to Israel. We delivered this letter, which has 54 signatories, to the UN on November 1,” said Fidan at a press conference in Djibouti where he was attending a Turkey-Africa partnership summit.
“We must repeat at every opportunity that selling arms to Israel means participating in its genocide,” the top Turkish diplomat said.
Turkey’s permanent representative to the UN Ahmet Yildiz said that Israel’s actions have brought the region to the brink of all-out war.
Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the UN to impose an arms embargo on Israel, which he said would be an “effective solution” to end the aggression in the besieged enclave.
Erdogan said that implementing a comprehensive arms embargo against Israel is a must to increase pressure on Israel to stop the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
He added Israel is trying to spread “the flames of conflict” it has ignited throughout the region and would inevitably “pay the price for this ongoing genocide in Gaza, sooner or later.”
Trade between Israel and Turkey was worth almost $7bn (£5.6bn) last year.
Israel was Turkey’s 13th biggest export market in 2023, receiving 2.1% of Turkish exports last year. Turkey was Israel’s fifth biggest source of imports last year, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.
https://www.globaltradealert.org/reports/download/136
However, according to reports by Middle East Eye, Turkish businesses are continuing to export to Israel by using Palestinian Authority customs and through third countries like Greece.
srael has faced accusations that it is subjecting Palestinians in Gaza to genocidal acts, with South Africa bringing its case against Israel before the United Nations court in The Hague in December, accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The death toll from Israel’s assault in Gaza, which began in October, has surpassed 43,000, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
South Africa’s case argues that Israel violated the 1948 Genocide Convention, which was established in the aftermath of the Holocaust and requires all countries to prevent the recurrence of such crimes. Such cases can take years to conclude.
The Biden administration has set a record by spending at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel in the year following October 7, 2023, according to a recent report by Brown University’s Costs of War project.
