The key facts

  • Numan Kurtulmus spoke at the European Conference of Speakers of Parliaments in Rome
  • He called the situation in Gaza a humanitarian catastrophe and a genocide ongoing for more than three years
  • Kurtulmus called on parliaments to take coordinated action and engage in parliamentary diplomacy

Speech in Rome

Turkey's parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmus said on Friday that the international community cannot remain silent in the face of ongoing violations of international law by Israel. The speech was delivered at a meeting of the European Conference of Speakers of Parliaments in Rome. “We cannot allow impunity to go unpunished,” he said, calling on the international community to take concrete steps to protect international law.

The situation in Gaza and the region

According to Kurtulmus, the erosion of the rules-based international order is clearly reflected in the years-long humanitarian catastrophe and genocide in Gaza. He said that it is no longer possible to turn a blind eye to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the region, nor to the “blatant violations of human rights and crimes against humanity” which, he claimed, the Israeli government is committing against Palestinians. “This is not merely a political issue, but a test of the shared conscience of humanity,” he added.

Israel's actions beyond Gaza

Kurtulmus emphasized that, in his words, Israeli aggression is not limited to Gaza: destruction, displacement of population and settler violence continue in the West Bank, while Israel, he claimed, threatens the territorial integrity and sovereignty of countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon.

Call to parliaments

The Turkish parliament speaker said that parliaments must play an active role in urgently ending the suffering of the people of Gaza and the violations of international humanitarian law. “We believe that coordinated action by parliaments can strengthen international efforts to protect international law and counter ongoing violations,” he said.

Criticism of the international order

Kurtulmus stated that the current international order has proven incapable of preventing conflicts and wars, including in close proximity to Europe. The war between Russia and Ukraine, ongoing for almost five years, has, in his words, turned into a war of attrition affecting all of Europe, not just the two countries. He also argued that the international order failed to stop the genocide which, in his assessment, the Israeli government has been committing in Gaza for more than three years.

Parliamentary diplomacy and UN reform

Kurtulmus warned that the rules-based international order is experiencing a deep erosion of legitimacy and functionality. In his view, to build a fairer and more authoritative order, parliaments must actively participate in shaping, discussing and supporting new rules and agreements. He noted the importance of parliamentary diplomacy, which can complement traditional diplomacy and maintain open channels of communication, and, where necessary, create new ones. “Placing the entire burden of crisis resolution on the UN and relying solely on UN reform will not yield results,” he concluded.