Gaza crisis a testament to collapse of global order, says Erdogan

ISTANBUL (AA) — The Gaza crisis is a testament to the collapse of the current global order, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Speaking at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Erdogan said the current century has been turning into an era of crises as the rules-based international order has lost meaning, becoming “no more than a slogan.”

“The current international system, devoid of fundamental concepts such as solidarity, justice, and trust, cannot fulfill even its minimum responsibilities,” he added in his speech at the event, held on Türkiye’s southern Mediterranean coast.

On Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed over 30,000 Palestinians, he said Western powers that have been unconditional in their support for Tel Aviv are “complicit in the bloodshed with their hypocritical policies.”

“What is happening in Gaza is not a conflict, it is a genocide, because even wars have their own rules,” he said, adding: “I’m talking about treacherous, dishonorable targeting, barbarity that lacks any sense of honor.”

Erdogan pointed to the brutal killing of civilians, including women and children, in Gaza, adding that belief in justice and global order had also been tarnished.

He underlined the “essential need to establish an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with territorial integrity and its capital in East Jerusalem on the basis of the 1967 borders.”

“The global community can only repay its debt to the Palestinian people through the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he added.

He said Türkiye is “following Israel’s barbarism with deep concern,” saying he was referring to “dastardly barbarism that targets civilians waiting in line for aid.”