Mr. President,

Turkey expresses its high appreciation to the Commission of Inquiry on Gaza for its important report. The endeavors of the Commission to compile such a comprehensive report without the cooperation of Israel deserve particular praise.

The Israeli attack on Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian territory last year caused immense human suffering, death and destruction.

As underlined in the report, the military operation coupled with the blockade on Gaza have led to chronic, wide spread and Systematic violations of human rights, above all the right to life and to security. Furthermore, the report clearly registers Israel’s violations of the applicable norms of international humanitarian law and 'international human rights law, including the principles of distinction; proportionality; and precautions. These violations unfortunately caused the death of thousands of civilians and destruction of civilian infrastructure. All crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, must be properly investigated and the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

The recent developments in Palestine once again demonstrated the urgency of finding a negotiated political settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on two states, in peace and security. The UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative provide a solid basis for such a settlement. First and foremost, it requires an end to the occupation and all its illegal practices.

Turkey fully subscribes to the recommendations of the Commission to Israel to address structural issues that fuel the conflict and have a negative impact on a wide range of human rights, including the right to self-determination; in particular, to lift the blockade on Gaza; to cease all settlement-related activity, including the transfer of Israel’s own population to the occupied territory, and to implement the advisory opinion rendered in 2004 by the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the construction of a wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.