Turkey calls for pressure on Israel to respect human dignity

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has called on the international community to “put an end to the Palestinians’ suffering in the occupied territories”, and urged the world “to put pressure on Israel to respect human dignity.”

Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council, Mr. Davutoglu explained that the Israeli army mistreats Palestinians, pointing to “daily abuses” such as random shooting, arbitrary arrests and official racial discrimination.

“The dignity of ordinary human beings is put to the test every day in the occupied Palestinian territories,” said the Foreign Minister, “including East Jerusalem.” He condemned all forms of Israel’s illegal actions, “which do not conform to any standards of humanity”, in the Gaza Strip, which is still suffering under an Israeli-led siege.

Mr. Davutoglu also asked the Israeli government to end all settlement building and expansion on Palestinian land. “We condemn strongly what is, in effect, the annexation of Palestinian land by Israel, which is destroying the vision of two states living next to each other in peace and security.” Israel’s policies, he added, highlight the need for Palestine to have full membership of the United Nations.

Source : The Palestinian Information Centre