Turkish parliament condemns 'war criminal' Netanyahu

ANKARA

The Turkish parliament passed a motion condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fiery speech to the U.S. Congress delivered on July 24, labeling him a "war criminal."

"We declare that we regret this democratic shame," read the resolution accepted by a vote in a general assembly session on July 27.

The text, signed by Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, was published in the country's official gazette the day after.

In his high-profile visit to Washington, Netanyahu addressed the Congress on July 24 as thousands of protesters gathered near the U.S. Capitol to denounce the war, now in its ninth month.

The Israeli prime minister has signaled that a ceasefire deal could be taking shape, but he vowed to press forward with Israel’s war until he achieves “total victory.”

The speech was greeted by a standing ovation and cheers from Republicans, and a more subdued reception from Democrats.

The resolution passed by the Turkish parliament said Netanyahu's address, "who took decades of unjust occupation and gross violations of law in Palestine to an unprecedented level with a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign" in Gaza, went down in history as a "disgrace."

"War criminals should speak from the dock in international courts, not from parliamentary rostrums," it added.

"It is regrettable that a democratic institution, instead of restraining Israel's borderless aggression, has become a tool for a stage show full of lies that gives power and courage to the perpetrators of great crimes against humanity."

The text praised the attitude of the protesters who "were the voice of social conscience" both inside and outside the building, as well as Congress members who did not attend the session.

"The massacre that has reached the level of genocide and open war that all humanity has witnessed since the beginning," the resolution said. "Netanyahu's lie-based show will not be enough to cover up his crimes."

The Turkish parliament called on all decision-makers with political influence over Israel, particularly the U.S. Congress, to take effective measures to stop the bloodshed in Gaza, increase political pressure on Israel for an immediate ceasefire and support efforts to ensure accountability for the war crimes committed.

Flouting a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued offensive in Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

Over 39,200 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and around 90,400 injured, according to local authorities.

Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.