Turkey Is Leading Effort To Suspend Israel From UN General Assembly

Via Middle East Eye

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 Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Fidan said that Palestinians needed collective action to end Israel’s alleged 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 mobilizing 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. 

On Monday, the OIC foreign ministers meeting issued a statement following the summit that said it “urges the OIC Member States to examine further whether Israel’s membership in the United Nations aligns with the UN Charter, given Israel’s evident violations of the requirements for membership and its consistent disregard for UN resolutions”.

“Additionally, efforts should be coordinated to suspend Israel’s membership in the United Nations,” it said. 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 September 27, 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. 

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”. 

Turkey is tightening its trade ban on Israel
• Ports will turn away Israeli ships
• Won’t process cargo linked to Israel
• Turkish ships barred from Israeli ports

Turkey first announced a trade ban in May 2024 & exports have already collapsed (chart)https://t.co/1819v5ZBZD pic.twitter.com/7WGNHNWTKD

— Ziad Daoud (@ZiadMDaoud) August 22, 2025

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 organizations – 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”.