Turkey says Israel should be suspended from UN General Assembly

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan issues call, which has a South Africa precedent, before the body meets in September

The 79th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, 24 September 2024. (Reuters/Caitlin Ochs)

The 79th United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters, New York, 24 September 2024 (Reuters/Caitlin Ochs)

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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday urged Islamic nations to work toward suspending Israel from participating in United Nations General Assembly meetings and activities.

Speaking at an emergency summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Fidan said that Palestinians needed collective action to end Israel's genocide in Gaza and settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

“This meeting will focus on three urgent tasks: halting the war, forging a united response of the Islamic Ummah, and mobilising the international community,” he said.

Fidan stressed that Israel’s “genocidal aggression” continues in Gaza, where half a million people face catastrophic hunger, adding that the UN has now officially declared famine in the territory.

He noted that Hamas has already accepted a ceasefire plan proposed by Qatar and Egypt, yet the Israeli government “still seeks the erasure of Palestine”.

“Therefore, we must join our efforts in sustaining and expanding the momentum for Palestine’s recognition, while also launching an initiative within the UN for Palestine’s full membership - and considering the suspension of Israel from the work of the General Assembly,” Fidan added.

Fidan’s call to suspend Israel from the UN General Assembly has precedent.

Articles 5 and 6 of the UN Charter state that a member may be suspended or expelled if it “persistently violates the principles contained in the Charter”.

However, such a move requires a recommendation from the Security Council, where the five permanent members, including the United States, hold veto power.

Historic precedent

There is, however, another route: the General Assembly itself. This was used in 1974 against apartheid South Africa.

On 27 September 1974, the UN Credentials Committee rejected South Africa’s credentials, a routine procedure before General Assembly meetings.

Three days later, the General Assembly passed Resolution 3207, urging the Security Council to review South Africa’s membership in light of its constant violations of the Charter.

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Although the Security Council vetoed the resolution, in November of that year the president of the General Assembly, Algeria’s Abdelaziz Bouteflika, ruled that, given the Credentials Committee’s decision and the adoption of Resolution 3207, the General Assembly would refuse to allow South Africa’s delegation to participate in its work.

South Africa remained suspended from the General Assembly until June 1994, following the end of apartheid.

Activists argue that the UN General Assembly could apply the same process to Israel. They note that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July 2024 issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories “unlawful” and its near-complete segregation of populations in the West Bank a breach of international law on “racial segregation” and “apartheid”.

The ICJ also stated that Israel’s policies and practices in occupied Palestine amount to segregation or apartheid, in violation of Article 3 of the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

Major human rights organisations - including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Israel’s own B’Tselem - have described Israel’s actions against Palestinians as constituting “apartheid” or an “apartheid regime”.

Israel's genocide in Gaza

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