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Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said Israeli officials responsible for deaths in Gaza will face justice "just as the Bosnia butchers" did, speaking on Monday at the International 20th Forensic Medicine Days conference in Antalya.
"Just as the Bosnian butchers years later gave account before humanity in the established court and were imprisoned, Israel's genocide criminals will also one day give account before humanity," Tunc told attendees at the Justice Organization Strengthening Foundation facility.
The minister said more than 65,000 people have been killed in Gaza over the past two years, with the majority being women and children, characterizing the deaths as genocide rather than human rights violations.
"The genocide in Gaza over the last two years has shown the whole world that international law has been rendered ineffective and international courts have lost their credibility," Tunc stated.
He criticized the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s inability to enforce precautionary measures in the case against Israel for violating the United Nations Genocide Convention.
"The decision remains only on paper. Who will implement this decision? The United Nations Security Council should implement the International Court of Justice's decision. Why doesn't it? Because there is no fair structure there," Tunc said.
Tunc pointed to what he described as a double standard in international justice, noting that arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged genocide perpetrators have not been enforced.
"Those genocide criminals, those killers for whom arrest is requested, can travel around the whole world and be applauded standing in the parliaments of countries that show themselves as democratic states," he said.
The minister argued that humanitarian aid proposals and ceasefire proposals have been rejected through single vetoes at the Security Council.
Tunc accused Western nations of hypocrisy regarding human rights in Gaza.
"Unfortunately, the West is two-faced. Those who talk about women's rights, those who talk about children's rights, those who talk about press freedom—unfortunately, when it comes to Palestine and Gaza, their voices are not heard at all," he stated.
He acknowledged that the public conscience in Europe and various parts of the world has rejected this position, with people taking to the streets, calling on their governments to stop what he termed "oppression."
The justice minister referenced President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's advocacy for a two-state solution, stating that the world is beginning to accept the necessity of establishing an independent Palestinian state with territorial integrity.
"Many European countries are recognizing the Palestinian state," Tunc noted.
He said Erdogan would address the United Nations General Assembly in the United States, continuing to advocate for Palestinian rights with the message: "The world is bigger than five. The world needs justice. A more just world is possible."
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