Türkiye warns against resumption of Israel’s genocide campaign

Posted by author February 4, 2025 World

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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty in the capital, Ankara, on Tuesday.

Fidan, who has been part of an international diplomatic mission to end Israel’s aggression targeting Palestinians since 2023, said a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas should persist. “The International community should adopt a common stance and prevent (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu from resuming genocide to advance his own political interests,” he said. The minister also reiterated Ankara’s opposition to a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to resettle Palestinians in Gaza in other countries “to clear out” the Palestinian enclave. “We oppose every initiative to drive Palestinians out of their homeland,” he said at a joint news conference with Abdelatty.

The minister praised Egypt, Qatar and other countries for exerting efforts to secure the cease-fire deal. “Hamas has no reservations in fulfilling the requirements of the cease-fire,” Fidan, who met Hamas officials in Doha on Sunday. “But there are question marks on how the Netanyahu government will move forward after the release of Israeli prisoners. Everybody who supports peace is worried about the possibility of Netanyahu resuming the conflict. After 16 months of the conflict, both Israel and Palestine need peace,” Fidan said.

A fragile cease-fire between Israel and Palestine so far held up with an exchange of prisoners. Israel also announced that it would send a team of negotiators to discuss the next phase of the cease-fire plan in Qatar. Hamas has said it is ready to negotiate the second stage of the cease-fire, mediated by Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt and which should focus on a more permanent end to the war.

The first phase, which took effect on Jan. 19, halted more than 15 months of bombardment and fighting that has leveled much of the Gaza Strip. In line with the agreement, Hamas and Israel have begun exchanging hostages held in Gaza for prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Amid the cease-fire deal, Trump has touted a plan to “clean out” Gaza, calling for Palestinians to move to Egypt or Jordan. Fidan said this was an idea against humanity. “This will only lead to a new conflict. We have to stop the execution of ideas that will displace Palestinians. We will always oppose the idea of sending Palestinians into exile in Egypt and Jordan just as Egypt did,” he said. “It is simply a lack of knowledge of history to come up with such an idea while we advocate peace based on a two-state solution. Insisting on this proposal is stoking the war and leaving a legacy of wars and hatred to future generations,” Fidan said.

Fidan also called for an immediate cessation of ongoing attacks on the West Bank. Since the truce took effect, Israel has turned its focus to the occupied West Bank, launching a deadly operation in the area around Jenin. U.N. aid agency UNRWA, which is now banned in Israel, warned the refugee camp of Jenin was “going in a catastrophic direction.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdellaty, for his part, said Egypt and Türkiye agreed to joint efforts to ensure the full implementation of the cease-fire deal.

He called for establishing political will to ensure the cease-fire in Gaza continues in all three phases without delay. The Egyptian minister stressed the importance of a two-state solution, with the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital. He also expressed opposition to any interference against the rights of the Palestinian people. He called for an end to unilateral actions, settlement activities, and military raids in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Referring to the protection of Islamic and Christian holy sites, the minister emphasized the significance of Türkiye’s ongoing and future support, particularly regarding reconstruction and the removal of rubble in Gaza. He announced that Egypt plans to hold a comprehensive international conference to highlight and formalize the support for the Palestinian people, especially in light of the severe devastation caused by the recent conflict.

On Trump’s proposal, the minister emphasized the right of the Palestinian people in Gaza to live on their own land and stated that Egypt opposed all attempts to displace them forcefully.

Türkiye’s top diplomat also spoke about the situation in Syria at the news conference hours before a scheduled meeting of Syria’s Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “It is of interest to everyone to see Syria as a stable, peaceful country. It is of utmost importance to support the new administration of Syria for a transitional period that is inclusive and based on the principle of supremacy of the law. The precondition of stability in Syria is clearing the country out of terrorism. Terrorist groups Daesh and PKK/YPG are two main sources of threats against Syria. Syria now has a historic opportunity to return to normalcy and it is crucial to carry out a joint fight against terrorist groups in such times. We believe Syria’s neighbors can work together against Daesh and we are working to achieve it. We will continue supporting the counterterrorism efforts of the Syrian administration.”