Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Monday that the United Nations General Assembly ought to advocate for the use of force should the UN Security Council be unable to halt Israel’s actions against terrorist groups operating in Gaza and Lebanon.

As a NATO ally, Turkey has strongly criticized Israel’s intense military operations in Gaza directed at the Palestinian militant group Hamas and has condemned its recent strikes in Lebanon aimed at Hezbollah militants. In response, Turkey has suspended all trade with Israel and has sought to join a lawsuit at the World Court accusing Israel of genocide, a charge that Israel disputes.

“The UN General Assembly should rapidly implement the authority to recommend the use of force, as it did with the 1950 Uniting for Peace resolution, if the Security Council can’t show the necessary will,” Erdogan remarked following a cabinet meeting in Ankara.

This resolution stipulates that the UN General Assembly has the capacity to intervene when conflicts among the Security Council’s five permanent members—Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States—result in an inability to uphold international peace.

The Security Council remains the sole UN entity authorized to issue legally binding resolutions, which include sanctioning military action and imposing sanctions.

Erdogan also expressed disappointment at the lack of proactive measures from Muslim nations against Israel, calling on them to implement economic, diplomatic, and political actions aimed at pressuring Israel into agreeing to a ceasefire.

“For the peace of everyone in our region, from Muslim to Jew to Christian, we call on the international community and Muslim world to mobilize,” Erdogan stated, warning that if Israel’s attacks are not curtailed soon, they may extend to other Muslim nations.

Israel’s intensified assaults on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon have escalated recently after a year of consistent rocket and drone strikes launched by the terrorist group against northern Israel, leading to the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.

The latest airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of a significant portion of Hezbollah’s senior leadership, including the group’s chief, Hassan Nasrallah, over the weekend.

Since the October 7 atrocities committed by Hamas in southern Israel, Erdogan has frequently criticized the nation for its actions during the conflict, repeatedly accusing it of genocide and likening its conduct to that of Nazi Germany, while portraying Hamas as freedom fighters and hosting its leaders in Ankara.

{Matzav.com}