Dr Mustafa Öztop/Expert on the Middle East and International Relations
Since October 2023, I have written articles on this page titled ‘The Fundamental Problem of the International System: Israel’, ‘Stopping Israel Is Now Possible’ and ‘The World’s Search for a Way Out of the Crisis: The Alliance of Humanity’. In these articles, I sought to assess—through historical examples and certain approaches in international relations—how the current international system has proven inadequate, inactive and dysfunctional in resolving problems and crises, and how change has become inevitable in the face of this situation. When the first two articles were written, the approach outlined therein was met with interest by some quarters yet was also regarded by many as “a quest that is hardly feasible”. However, particularly in the article published in May 2025, the fact that the framework outlined in earlier articles had largely begun to materialize demonstrated that many now perceive the current order as unsustainable and that the notion that change is possible is beginning to take shape. By the present day, it is evident that the issue has been brought to the agenda by high-level politicians in Turkey and has led to the formation of a global group such as the Hague Group.
For these reasons, it is expected that this issue will feature more frequently on the agenda in the coming period. Furthermore, in a world where Israel’s genocide in Palestine, the US’s rogue intervention in Venezuela, and the normalization of the powerful doing as they please without question against Iran have become the norm, escaping this dramatic situation into which humanity has fallen and at least attaining humane conditions is no longer a choice but a necessity. With each passing day, the need for reform of the current international system or for new mechanisms is becoming increasingly evident, in a more painful, severe and clear manner. A fairer international system is essential to ensure that the events unfolding in Palestine, Ukraine, East Turkestan, Lebanon, Sudan, Somalia and Venezuela do not occur in any other region or state. Humanity has been too late to prevent these developments of the recent past. However, something can still be done for tomorrow. In this sense, developments that have not yet reached the level of the international system but are beginning to produce some results at the level of organizations, whose impact is growing at the level of states, and whose intense effects are being observed at the level of societies, have gained importance.
THE BAGOTA DECLARATION AND ORGANISATIONS
To track the issue within the context of intellectual and political developments, a look at the events since last year reveals that the Hague Group, established on 31 January 2025 to respond at the international level to Israel’s Genocide in Gaza and to defend the rights of the Palestinian people, organized a meeting in Bogotá, hosted by Colombia, on 15–16 July 2025 in Bogotá, hosted by Colombia. The meeting, attended by representatives from 30 countries, was titled “Preventing Genocide in Gaza”. The six-point package of measures announced at the meeting included comprehensive measures to prevent the transfer of arms and military equipment to Israel. Subsequently, during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly held in September, the Hague Group brought together more than thirty governments to transform the measures taken to halt the Gaza Genocide into a coordinated global strategy.
Regarding the case brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide; 18 countries have intervened, including Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Palestine, Spain, Turkey, Chile, the Maldives, Bolivia, Ireland, Cuba, Belize, Brazil, the Comoros, Belgium, Paraguay, Iceland and the Netherlands. On 22 October 2025, the International Court of Justice issued a historic opinion emphasizing that Israel has no right of sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories and, as an occupying power, has no authority to obstruct humanitarian aid. Discussions and meetings regarding this issue also took place within the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. These meetings resulted in decisions and assessments critical of Israel.
RECOGNITION OF THE STATE OF PALESTINE AND GROWING BACKLASH
Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, the Principality of Monaco, Luxembourg, Malta and San Marino have officially recognized the State of Palestine. Germany announced that it would not intervene in favor of Israel in the genocide case brought against Israel by South Africa at the International Court of Justice. Furthermore, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that the operations launched by the US and Israel against Iran took place outside the framework of international law. Furthermore, tensions are escalating between Meloni—one of Trump’s strongest supporters in Europe on the issue of Israel—and Trump himself, centering on Trump’s remarks regarding Pope Leo XIV and the Iran War. Whilst the shift in tone in the stances of Germany and Italy—perceived as Trump’s staunchest allies—appears to be driven more by their own interests and mounting pressures, these developments have nonetheless attracted significant attention.
In addition to this, US President Trump’s clash with European countries—particularly the UK—over the policy he wished to pursue regarding Canada and Greenland has opened a new chapter in US-European rivalry. Meanwhile, Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Iceland and Ireland boycotted this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in protest at Israel’s participation. Such initiatives were recorded as significant developments in the effort to isolate Israel within the international system.
SUMUD FLEET
As October approached last year, reactions against Israel were mounting at the state level worldwide, whilst civil initiatives seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, such as the Sumud Fleet, were on the rise. As a result, a ceasefire was secured following negotiations involving the Gaza Peace Committee and eight Muslim countries, including the US and Turkey. However, this ceasefire merely served as an attempt to alleviate the pressure on Israel and neutralize civil initiatives.
Furthermore, the attacks launched against Iran, along with the ensuing debates and headlines regarding the Strait of Hormuz—one of the repercussions of these events—have overshadowed the Gaza Peace Committee and the ceasefire process. It has become evident that the US and Israel have utilized every ceasefire and negotiation/agreement process as a tactic to achieve their occupation objectives, reduce the pressure on them, and make the world forget the genocide in Palestine. Whenever they found themselves in a tight spot, they continued their massacres and occupations by altering the form or location of the occupation. In this sense, the Sumud Fleet, which has recently resumed its activities, serves as a fabric that, if we were to liken the world to a human being, transforms into the pain felt from the genocide and massacres taking place in the region, thereby fostering awareness and sensitivity.
A CENTRE OF POWER FOR ACTION
In my article ‘Stopping Israel Is Now Possible’, sanctions were outlined under four subheadings as part of the ‘Plan to Stop Israel’. It appears that the steps intended to be taken against Israel within international organizations, particularly the Bogota Declaration, have taken shape around these four points. On the other hand, the proposal for a “Declaration of States Supporting Palestine,” which was suggested to be announced by participants at a Peace Conference to be held in Istanbul, was reflected in a similar framework by MHP Leader Devlet Bahçeli in recent months as the “World Peace Council” proposal. Essentially, what is required here is the establishment of a countervailing power center against the hegemony of the US within the international system and the economic, intelligence and technological influence of Zionist Israel across the globe.
Within a mechanism involving the US or Israel, there is no opportunity for such a center to be established. However, given the current realities of realpolitik and the international system, inviting the US into a mechanism and framework created by actors other than the US and Israel could constitute a highly strategic framework. In this context, as dictated by history, humanity and current conditions, a new mechanism has ceased to be a mere option and has become a necessity for humanity to emerge from this crisis and impasse—whatever it may be called—and to achieve a more just international system. This necessity must be translated into action in the form of the Alliance of Humanity, the World Peace Council or the expansion of the Hague Group. The likelihood of developments in this regard is increasing day by day, and Turkey’s pioneering role in this mission is growing in importance with each passing day.
Source: yenisafak.com
