Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş on April 15 called for Israel to be suspended from the United Nations, pointing to its new death penalty law for Palestinian prisoners and invoking the precedent of apartheid-era South Africa during the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Istanbul.
The assembly is being held in the city from April 15 to 19.
In his speech, Kurtulmuş said the international system had previously acted against apartheid, recalling the 1974 U.N. General Assembly decision that barred South Africa’s delegation from participating in its work.
He argued that Israel was now pursuing similarly discriminatory practices against Palestinians.
“Is it not apartheid to apply one law for Palestinians and another for Israelis in a single country?” Kurtulmuş said, questioning the legitimacy of military court rulings under the new system.
The law adopted by Israel last month has drawn criticism from U.N. experts, who said a death penalty regime applied to Palestinians would violate basic principles of non-discrimination and fair trial.
Kurtulmuş also sharply criticized the United Nations, saying it had failed to stop wars and had become ineffective in the face of continuing violence, particularly in Gaza.
He said global institutions still existed but no longer functioned as they should, and urged the international community to revive hope, strengthen peace and establish justice.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Kurtulmuş also held talks with Oman’s Shura Council Chairman Khalid Al Maawali.
Reports said he thanked Oman for its earlier mediation efforts, called for talks in Pakistan to resume from where they had stopped and urged that the temporary ceasefire be turned into a lasting one.
