OIC presses for legal action against Israel, lifting of Gaza blockade

The OIC “condemns in the strongest possible terms the brutal aggression by the Israeli forces against civilian ships transporting humanitarian aid material to the Gaza Strip in international waters” and “conveys its deepest condolences to the families of those killed in this military aggression and expressed its hopes for the early recovery of the wounded,” the declaration read, and defined the Israeli attack as “piracy which constitutes an act of state terrorism, and a gross breach of international law and serious violation of human rights.”

Nine Turkish peace activists were killed at the hands of Israeli naval commandos that raided an aid flotilla bound for the besieged Gaza Strip last Monday. Israeli commandos raided the flotilla in a pre-dawn operation and shot at defenseless peace activists. Around 600 activists were attempting to transport humanitarian aid to Gaza in six boats.

The organization also called for the United Nations secretary-general to establish an independent international commission to launch a full investigation into the incident in order to determine, prosecute and punish those responsible for the killing of civilians as well as attacking and forcefully seizing civilian vessels.

According to the OIC, the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip is not only a gross violation of Palestinian human rights but also represents a serious threat to international peace and security and regional stability. “It is a vivid manifestation of state terrorism, a serious crime against humanity and a blatant breach of international law, which needs to receive proper reaction by the international community though bringing Israeli authorities who are responsible for these heinous acts to justice,” the declaration stated.

The declaration also reiterated the organization’s firm and unwavering demand for an immediate lifting of the unlawful Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip and the opening of all Israeli-controlled crossing points to allow for the free movement of persons and goods into and out of the Gaza Strip and to allow for unfettered humanitarian access.

The OIC “decides to establish an OIC governmental expert group, in close coordination with Palestine, in order to consider ways, means and mechanisms to ensure the lifting of the unjust Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza and to facilitate the reconstruction process of Gaza” and “requests the UN Secretary General to intensify UN activities in order to immediately and unconditionally lift the Israeli blockade on Gaza and alleviate the sufferings of the people therein,” stated the organization.

Speaking after the conclusion of the meeting, OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu praised Turkey for its unwavering stance in support of the Palestinian people, adding that “all participants of the meeting strongly supported the principled policy of Turkey and said they sided with Turkey.”

Davutoğlu vows to follow Israeli violence till end

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu spoke to reporters after the OIC meeting and reiterated Turkey’s decisiveness to follow the Israeli violence “until the very end.”

“Before all, this is our responsibility to our citizens. We will continue to put the [Israeli] attack on the agenda of all international platforms. I hope the truth will emerge soon. If Israel does not agree with the decision of the establishment of an international committee to investigate the incident, they will implicitly admit to their crime. Turkey will never accept Israel’s reasons for the killing of its citizens,” the minister remarked.

Davutoğlu also said Turkey received strong support from the OIC member countries, adding that “all member countries expressed their appreciation of Turkey’s position to defend the citizens of other countries [on the aid flotilla] as well as its own citizens. They also hailed the decisive foreign policy Turkey has pursued.”