Turkish FM at U.N.S.C Meeting: Israel Has Lost International Legitimacy

Israel has "lost all legitimacy" after conducting a raid against an aid flotilla that killed at least 19 people, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told the Security Council on Monday.

"A nation state that follows this path has lost its legitimacy as a respectful member of the international community," he said at an emergency session of the council called to discuss the Israeli massacre committed at dawn on Monday.

"Israel has committed a serious crime, in total disregard of all the values that we have vowed to uphold since the establishment of the United Nations system," the most senior Turkish diplomat said.

"Israel's action is a grave breach of international law. In simpler terms, it's tantamount to banditry and piracy. It's murder conducted by a state," he added.

Israel is facing a wave of international condemnation over the raid, in which at least 19 people were killed. Lebanon holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council until Tuesday 0400 GMT.

Yahya Mahmassani, representing the Arab group at the UN, said there were a number of issues that were important for Council members to address.
"We want a strong condemnation because this happened in international waters, two: we want to lift the blockade on Gaza, to allow all the food and material that was sent to Gaza to arrive and third: Israel should abide by international law and its commitment
under international law," he told AFP.
An international investigation into the incident was also needed, he said.

The Palestinian permanent representative to the world body, Riyad Mansour, said there was hope that "at the end of the day... the Security Council will have a decisive outcome, a reaction to bring Israel into account at the same level of that crime that has been committed in the high seas."