Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice considering the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories illegal should constitute an "awakening for the international community" to end the occupation. Erdogan said in a press statement on board the plane upon his return from Turkish Northern Cyprus after participating yesterday, Saturday, in the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the "military peace process": The International Court of Justice considered Israel an occupying state of the Palestinian territories, and demanded that it end the occupation. The court also ruled that Israel pay compensation, but they have not announced the amount yet. Israel has not implemented any of the decisions of the International Court of Justice so far, because the West stands by it, especially the United States. The Turkish President added: "Israel must be punished for what it has done, and this punishment must serve as a deterrent lesson to anyon e who dares to commit such injustices. I hope that this decision and the decisions taken before it that Israel has not implemented will achieve this goal. We must not get used to the suffering of the Palestinians and we must not consider their situation normal." He continued: "We must raise our voices against injustice with a tone that increases with each new day. This is our humanitarian duty and a debt we owe to history. Every position taken or not taken is recorded by history. I call on everyone once again to stand on the right side of history." Erdogan stressed that Turkey has exerted the necessary pressure with many countries in the world and will continue to do so, saying: "Spain's position was very important, as were Finland and Norway's positions in recognizing the State of Palestine. He also called for Israel to stop its violations, considering it "everyone's duty", and stated that ignoring the systematic Israeli violations against the Palestinian people for many years "does not lead to a breakthr ough". Regarding whether the outcome of the US elections will affect Israeli policies towards Gaza, Erdogan said: "Israel is now doing the same thing as it did in 1947, and nothing has changed... and the matter is up to those who stand with right and justice against Israel's behavior to unite and mobilize everyone to support the decision of the International Court of Justice". Erdogan stressed that in order to end this injustice, the US administration must pressure Israel and "withdraw its support from the criminal Benjamin Netanyahu and his entourage". The Turkish president stressed that Israel is trying to drag the region into a quagmire of darkness and set it on fire, indicating that Tel Aviv is upset about its inability to achieve these goals despite its brutality in Gaza. Erdogan said: "What Israel does not want is for its goals to be firmly confronted by the international community. We must unite against Israeli injustice and force it to comply with international law. In this way, not only Gaza and Palestine will be saved, but also our region, which has become a ring of fire due to being dragged into major conflicts." Last Friday, the International Court of Justice held a public session in The Hague regarding the request of the UN General Assembly for the court to issue an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israel's policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Al-Quds. The Court said that "the continued presence of the State of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories is illegal," stressing that the Palestinians have "the right to self-determination," and that "Israeli settlements in the occupied territories must be evacuated. Source: National Iraqi News Agency