President Recep Tayyip Erdo an is apparently trying to make good on his threats issued before a large pro-Palestinian rally last week saying that he would "present Israel before the world" as a "war criminal" state.
Turkish media is reporting Tuesday that officials are exploring ways to bring a war crimes case centered on Israel before the International Criminal Court (ICC). This was announced as the death toll in Gaza soars past 8,500.
Erdogan had told a crowd of hundreds of thousands in Istanbul on Saturday, "Israel, we will also declare you as a war criminal to the world, we are preparing for it, and we will introduce Israel to the world as a war criminal," according to a state broadcaster. "Israel is committing war crimes" as an "occupier." He added: the "West owes you, but Türkiye does not owe you."
But the only problem with Turkey bringing a war crimes case is that the country is not a party to the Rome Statute, which is the international treaty that established the ICC.