Turkey calls for strong UN statement against Israel

The UN Security Council has to make a strong statement against Israel, which has been imposing its will on the Palestinian people by ignoring international law, said Turkey's Ambassador to the UN Ertugrul Apakan on Wednesday. Israel's imposition on the Palestinian people is being carried out by the building of settlements in Palestinian territories, the eviction of Palestinian residents, and by tightening its occupation of the Palestinian territories, Apakan argued during an open debate of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, the Anatolia news agency reported. The UN Security Council shouldn't shirk its duty to issue a strong statement on such unilateral actions by Israel, he added. The Turkish diplomat also criticized Israel's failure to present to the UN its findings following an enquiry into a raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last May that left nine Turkish peace activists dead.