Turkey on Tuesday criticized the UN Security Council for failing to protect civilians during conflicts, particularly in Palestine and Syria.

This was voiced by Turkey’s permanent ambassador to the UN Feridun Sinirlioğlu during an open discussion at the Security Council on the protection of civilians during armed conflicts.

Sinirlioğlu said that ensuring the safety of civilians in accordance with the international humanitarian law is one of the primary responsibilities of the Security Council. Unfortunately, he added, the Council’s response is far from meeting expectations especially in Syria and Palestine.

He continued to say that the Security Council completely ignores the values the UN has been defending for over 70 years in a clear violation of the principles of international law.

He stressed that the targeting of innocent civilians cannot be justified, adding that decisive accountability mechanisms should be adopted.

According to official statistics, the Israeli occupation army on 14th May killed 62 Palestinians and injured 3,188 while they were peacefully protesting near Gaza’s eastern border fence.