Türkiye blames Israeli occupation for obstructing Palestinian statehood at UN conference

Türkiye’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz has called Israel’s decades-long occupation the main obstacle to Palestinian statehood, urging the international community to move beyond statements of concern and take concrete steps to uphold the two-state solution.

“It was a recurring view that the continued occupation is the main obstacle on the way to Palestinian statehood,” Yilmaz said on Monday during a high-level UN conference on the two-state solution, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Yılmaz welcomed France’s recent decision to recognise the State of Palestine, saying Ankara “sincerely hopes that many others will follow suit soon.”

He described the feedback received from participating delegations as a clear expression of global concern and a deep desire to end the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Empowering a sovereign Palestinian state

He said many submissions supported building institutional capacity within the Palestinian Authority, while also emphasising the need to empower a sovereign Palestinian state.

Ending the occupation was at the heart of the discussions, he added, warning that Israel’s looming annexation plans, including a recent call by the Israeli parliament, demand an urgent and proportionate international response.

Yılmaz noted that some delegations proposed enforcement mechanisms to uphold international law and humanitarian standards.

He also pointed out growing calls for imposing sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and said Israel itself could face coercive measures as the enabler of illegal settlement activity.

‘Prevent Israel from displacing, dislocating, and expelling Palestinians’

Beyond the worsening crisis in Gaza, Yılmaz cited ongoing land confiscations, home demolitions, and the systematic displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

“The acts of Israel to displace, dislocate, and expel Palestinian people from their homeland should be prevented without any delay. We cannot envisage the state of Palestine without a Palestinian nation,” he said.

Throughout the conference, delegations emphasised the urgency of implementing the two-state solution, recognising Palestine as a full member of the United Nations, ensuring humanitarian aid and reconstruction in Gaza, halting settlement expansion, promoting civil society engagement, and guaranteeing security and accountability through the rule of law.

“The submissions send a clear message: The international community must act urgently and decisively to preserve the two-state vision, to uphold legal and humanitarian principles, and to move beyond expressions of concern to activating mechanisms of accountability,” Yılmaz said.