52 countries have signed a letter to the United Nations, calling for a halt to arms sales to Israel amid escalating tensions in the Middle East in recent times.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on November 3 that they had submitted a letter to the United Nations, signed by 52 countries and two intergovernmental organizations, calling for a halt to arms supplies to Israel.
“We wrote a joint letter calling on all countries to stop selling weapons and ammunition to Israel. We forwarded this letter, which has 54 signatories, to the United Nations on November 1,” Fidan said, confirming that this was a proposal put forward by Türkiye.
Among the signatories to the letter are Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Algeria, China, Iran and Russia. The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, both intergovernmental organizations within the United Nations, also signed the document.
Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the United Nations to impose an arms embargo on Israel, saying such a measure would be an “effective solution” to end Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
Erdogan has been a fierce critic of Israel throughout the Gaza war, even warning that he could invade Israel. In May, he banned Turkish trade with Israel. He has also called for a coalition of Muslim countries to counter Tel Aviv.
Some of Israel’s allies have raised the possibility of limiting arms supplies to Tel Aviv to ease tensions in the Middle East.
French President Emmanuel Macron said last month that an arms embargo could be the only way to end the war in Gaza.
In September, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer halted the supply of some weapons to Israel over concerns they could be used to target civilians, but stopped short of calling for a total ban. Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly also announced in September that she would suspend around 30 licences to supply weapons to Israel, saying Ottawa would not allow “weapons or parts of weapons to be sent to Gaza.”
On the other hand, the US administration has sent a letter to the Israeli government asking Tel Aviv to take action to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within the next 30 days.
If Israel fails to do so, it risks violating US laws on foreign military aid, a scenario that could put Washington’s military aid to Tel Aviv in jeopardy.
