A group of 76 Turkish academics, writers, politicians and rights activists have signed a statement criticizing a resolution recently passed in parliament on Gaza, calling it a “cosmetic” text that fails to impose sanctions on Israel, the Karar daily reported on Tuesday.
Turkey’s parliament on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution condemning Israel for its decades-long policies of occupation, destruction and annexation that had in the past two years turned into “genocide” in Gaza. They urged legislatures around the world to pressure their governments to end military and trade relations with Israel, to support the delivery of uninterrupted humanitarian aid to Gaza and to back the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders. The resolution also called for suspending Israel’s membership in international organizations until it ends what lawmakers described as genocide.
According to Karar, dozens of signatories stated that “what is needed is not a cosmetic resolution but a decision imposing sanctions on Israel,” calling on Ankara to suspend trade and agreements with Israel and adopt binding punitive measures.
“For 22 months Israel has been committing genocide and war crimes in Gaza, while Turkey has gone no further than condemnations. The resolution adopted by parliament is nothing more than a repetition of past statements, with no sanctions whatsoever,” the statement said.
The signatories also criticized opposition parties for backing the resolution, saying that their support for the text means approving the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government’s “disregard” for the worsening humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian enclave.
Stating that they reject a resolution that will embolden Israel and perpetuate the massacre in Palestine, the signatories urged both the ruling AKP and the opposition parties to act.
“The government must stop stalling, and the opposition must turn its words at the podium into binding decisions. Trade, airspace and agreements with Israel must be suspended and every kind of sanction implemented,” they said.
Among the signatories were former culture minister Ertuğrul Günay, sociologist and writer Oya Baydar, prominent environmental activist Ömer Madra, former minister Nesrin Nas, Islamic theologian İhsan Eliaçık and author Ümit Aktaş.
The developments come against the backdrop of an escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. On August 22 the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, an international monitoring body, declared famine in parts of Gaza City, reporting that one in five households faced extreme shortages leading to malnutrition and death. According to Gaza health authorities, Israeli forces have killed more than 62,000 Palestinians and wounded over 142,000 since October 7, 2023, when Hamas carried out an attack that left 1,206 people dead in Israel and around 250 taken hostage.
Two leading Israeli rights groups, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights–Israel, last month joined international NGOs and UN experts in accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, urging governments worldwide to act.