Erdogan Responds to Netanyahu: War Criminals Belong in Courts, Not at the United Nations

Istanbul - Afaq News - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responded to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's description of him as a "tyrant" during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, emphasizing that those who commit war crimes do not belong on the platform of the international organization, but rather in courts that prosecute them for the crimes attributed to them.

Erdoğan said today, Saturday, during an event in Istanbul, in his first direct official comment on Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations, that "the place of criminals who have committed war crimes is not the United Nations platform, but the courtrooms that prosecute them for the crimes they have committed."

The Turkish president added that the continued failure to hold perpetrators of genocide accountable before justice, law, and history could lead to a repetition of brutality, noting that the world is going through a phase where the international system has reached a dead end in terms of legitimacy, representation, and justice.

Erdoğan continued: "Our region is experiencing a storm of crises, so to speak, and the system of dominance by the strongest has become a characteristic of international relations today more than ever."

The Turkish president affirmed his country's determination to expose what he described as the "Zionist occupation mentality," stating that it considers itself chosen and superior to all peoples, adding that his country seeks to prove that it is "devoid of mercy, conscience, morals, and principles."