Turkey’s deputy foreign minister Nuh Yilmaz attending a session at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, 30 April 2025 (MEE/Sondos Asem)
Middle East Monitor
Turkey on Tuesday said it was taking six measures against Israel, following commitments agreed earlier this month by a cohort of countries seeking to stop the Israeli war on Gaza.
By endorsing The Hague Group’s joint statement from the Bogota Emergency Conference on Palestine, Turkey has become the first country to sign on to the commitments since the summit on 16 July.
The Bogota summit culminated in a joint declaration by states demanding international sanctions against Israel and legal accountability for what participants described as “grave violations of international law” in Gaza.
The six measures include suspending military exports to Israel, refusing the transit of Israeli weapons through their ports and airspace, and reviewing all public contracts to prevent state institutions and pension funds from supporting Israeli companies or the occupation of Palestinian territories.
They also included a vow to actively support universal jurisdiction cases and International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants to pursue accountability for alleged war crimes.
“Children are not only dying from bombings, but also from starvation. This is a man-made humanitarian disaster pointing to a moral and systemic collapse. Israel is inventing genocide in the 21st century,” Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz said in a statement shared with Middle East Eye.
“It is evident that under its current course, Israel will not stop its genocidal attacks,” Yilmaz said, announcing his government’s decision to endorse the Bogota declaration.
“We support the Hague Group’s righteous call for upholding international law and announcing measures against Israel for its violations.”
The Hague Group is a bloc of eight states – Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal and South Africa – launched on 31 January in the eponymous Dutch city with the stated goal of holding Israel accountable under international law.
The Bogota summit, co-hosted by Colombia and South Africa, brought together representatives from more than 30 countries across Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, marking the most coordinated diplomatic effort yet by a coalition of states opposing Israel’s ongoing military onslaught in Gaza.
MEE understands that more states will join the Hague Group within the coming weeks.
Israel is coming under increased scrutiny as its strategy of starvation is killing more Palestinians in Gaza every day. Almost 150 Palestinians have died of malnutrition since October 2023, while the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza on Tuesday said the overall death toll had topped 60,000 people.
On Monday, two major Israeli human rights groups said Israel is waging genocide in Gaza and on Tuesday, the world’s top hunger monitor said the “worst-case scenario of famine” is unfolding in the enclave due to the starvation and siege.
Yilmaz said Turkey reiterates its calls for unhindered humanitarian aid flow to Gaza, as well as “a coordinated reconstruction process led by Palestinians, and, finally, a concrete roadmap toward a just and lasting peace based on the two-state vision”.
“We should not ignore Israel’s continuing aggression and violations in the West Bank. This is what can be called deepening the colonisation,” he added.
“The recent declaration, adopted by the Israeli parliament, openly calling for the extension of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, is a dangerous step.”
South Africa welcomes Turkey’s decision
At the Bogota conference held on 15-16 July, all 30 participating states agreed on the need to end the “era of impunity” and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
To kickstart that process, the group said that 12 states from across the world – Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and South Africa – had committed to implementing the six measures immediately through their domestic legal and administrative systems.
The measures seek to “break the ties of complicity with Israel’s campaign of devastation in Palestine”, the group said.
A date has been set for 20 September 2025, coinciding with the 80th UN General Assembly, for additional states to join them in adopting the measures, the group added.
“The steps taken by Türkiye today are a powerful affirmation that international law must be enforced, not merely referenced. We invite others to follow suit before the September deadline, to end impunity and defend humanity,” Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, executive secretary of the Hague Group, said on Tuesday.
Ronald Lamola, South Africa’s minister for international relations and cooperation, said his country “welcomes the signing of the joint statement by Türkiye”.
“This is a welcome development to strengthen and continue the fight against injustice and ensure accountability,” he said.
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