Human Rights

27 June 2023; MEMO: The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a strong condemnation on 26 June, expressing its deep concern over the Israeli government's recent approval of the construction of approximately 5,700 new residential units in the Occupied West Bank, Anadolu News Agency reports.

27 June 2023; MEMO: Turkiye will continue standing against any action that could harm sanctity and status of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem, the country's President said on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a phone call, Recep Tayyip Erdogan extended his greetings to Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, for the Muslim holiday Eid Al-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice, according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate.

28 June 2023; MEMO: The number of people filing discrimination complaints increased by 14 per cent in Germany in 2022 compared to 2021, to a total of 8,827, the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency said Tuesday.

"We have never had so many people submit applications to the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency as we did last year," said Ferda Ataman, the head of Germany's anti-discrimination office, in announcing the report at a news conference in Berlin, Anadolu Agency reports.

28 June 2023; MEMO: Swedish police have given the go-ahead for a small demonstration to take place outside a Stockholm mosque on Wednesday at which the organisers said they would "tear up the Koran and burn it", which could further complicate Sweden's bid to join NATO, reports Reuters.

28 June 2023; MEMO: Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has condemned recent attacks by Jewish settlers on occupied towns of the West Bank, describing them as "organised terrorism carried out by the State of Israel."

Al-Maliki also accused the Israeli army of protecting the settlers.

"The army is protecting the settlers charged with terror, fear-mongering, killing and destruction in Palestinian lands," al-Maliki told Anadolu in an interview.

26 June 2023; MEMO: Israel's nationalist-religious government approved the construction of 5,700 additional illegal housing units for Jewish settlers in the Occupied West Bank on Monday, despite US pressure to halt settlement expansion that Washington sees as an obstacle to peace with Palestinians, Reuters reports.

The plans for approval of the housing units in various areas of the West Bank were approved by Israel's Supreme Planning Council. Jewish settler leadership praised the decision.

27 June 2023; MEMO: Israel must block the path to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced yesterday.

27 June 2023; MEMO: Palestinian MPs from the besieged Gaza have filed a complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the 17-year-long Israeli siege of the enclave, Quds Press reported yesterday.

First Deputy Speaker of the Palestinian Parliament, Ahmad Bahar, said in a press conference that the complaints came in the framework of legal, diplomatic and parliamentary efforts being exerted against the Israeli occupation's crimes.

25 June 2023; MEMO: The United Nations, on Friday, called for the removal of all obstacles to guarantee the uninterrupted continuation of the Black Sea grain deal, Anadolu Agency reports.

26 June 2023; MEMO: Over half a million Palestinians living in Israel are denied permission to build houses on their land, while 100,000 demolition and eviction orders have been issued to them in recent years, according to a special report compiled by Safa news agency.