Israel's Gaza policies put entire Middle East into danger: Fidan

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has informed the Turkish parliament about the worsening situation of Gaza amid increased Israeli genocidal actions that continue to kill civilians either as a result of its military operations or man-made famine.

“If Israel is not stopped, this will have consequences at the regional and global level. The Greater Israel dream constitutes a disaster for the region. No peace will prevail in this region if the Netanyahu government is not prevented,” Fidan told Turkish lawmakers on Aug. 29.

The assembly convened under the leadership of Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş and upon the calls of the political parties in a special session to discuss the Israeli massacres in Gaza and to demonstrate a collective reaction against it.

The continued occupation of Gaza and attacks against Lebanon and Syria by Israel are dragging the Middle East towards a turning point, Fidan underlined, accusing the Netanyahu government of committing every possible crime to expand the territories of Israel.

“Israel is currently occupying 85 percent of Gaza and is in preparation to occupy the rest of it at the expense of new massacres,” the minister underlined, repeating that Türkiye will never accept the forced migration of Palestinians from their territories.

Türkiye continues its diplomatic efforts to stop the genocide in Gaza and resume talks for a two-state solution with like-minded Islamic and European nations, Fidan said.

"No country has taken stronger measures against Israel than Türkiye," he declared, emphasizing that Türkiye stands alone in completely severing trade ties with Israel.

The fact that prominent countries like France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Malta, and Portugal have announced they will recognize Palestine as a state during the U.N. General Assembly works in September constitutes a historic milestone, Fidan said.

“These are overdue but very valuable steps. As a result of decisive diplomacy, Israel’s so-called legitimacy is falling apart.”

“Our job is to maintain and accelerate this momentum,” Fidan said, citing that excluding Israel from the works of the U.N. General Assembly is among the objectives of like-minded countries.

Kurtulmuş, for his part, underlined that Israel’s membership in all international organizations should be suspended until it abandons its genocidal policies.