Türkiye reiterates its 'unwavering support' for Palestine's UN membership

NEW YORK

Türkiye reaffirmed its support for Palestine's application for full U.N. membership, calling on the international community to urgently address the Palestinian issue by recognizing the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people.

“We reaffirm our unwavering support for Palestine's application for full membership in the U.N.,” Ahmet Yıldız, Türkiye’s permanent representative to the U.N., told the General Assembly.

Emphasizing that Türkiye believes that the use of the veto in the U.N. Security Council should not obstruct the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, Yıldız said, "It should not be a barrier to an immediate ceasefire either."

“Last week, Palestine was once again denied its rightful place in the international community due to the veto of a permanent member of the Security Council [the United States],” Yıldız said, adding that this veto disregarded not only the will of the Palestinian people but also the favorable votes of other Security Council member states.

The U.S. vetoed the draft resolution in the U.N. Security Council on April 19, with the U.K. and Switzerland abstaining from the vote. Meanwhile, Russia, China, France, Algeria, Malta, Ecuador, Guyana, Slovenia, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, South Korea and Japan voted in favor.

Palestine initially applied for full U.N. membership in 2011 but failed to garner adequate support in the Security Council. It was granted permanent observer status in 2012.

“The only viable option to break the endless cycle of violence is the two-state solution,” Yıldız said, adding that the repeated vetoes “constitute a serious blow” to the founding principles of the U.N. and the Council's mandate to maintain international peace and security.

Yıldız emphasized that the Palestinian issue is “one of the longest-standing” and “most pressing challenges to peace and security in the Middle East.”.

Drawing attention to the attacks on Gaza in the last 7 months, Yıldız reminded that approximately 35,000 Palestinians have been killed and 1.7 million internally displaced.

Demanding the immediate implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and the interim measures taken by the International Court of Justice, Yıldız emphasized that Türkiye rejects any military operation against Rafah and any attempt to expel the Palestinian people from their land.

“Israel is not only indiscriminately killing civilians but also preventing the flow and distribution of essential humanitarian aid into Gaza,” Yıldız said, noting that without a ceasefire, the atrocities in Gaza risk turning into a global catastrophe with effects far beyond the region.

He denounced smear campaigns against the U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and reaffirmed Türkiye's unwavering support for the organization.

"The consequences of the abandonment of international law would bring more instability, more aggression, more conflict, and more suffering," Yıldız said, expressing concern regarding the conflict's regional repercussions.