Türkiye pushes strong reaction against Israel after Qatar attack
ROME
Türkiye is calling on the international community to show a strong and coordinated reaction against Israel over its unprecedented attack on Qatar ahead of an extraordinary summit that will bring the Islamic countries together to discuss the escalation.
In an interview with daily Hürriyet during his official visit to Rome, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described Israel’s policies of spreading the conflict to the region for the prolongation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political life as a big security threat to all regional countries.
“Israel is being governed with an expansionist mindset and is trying to maintain its stability by exporting instability,” Fidan said, likening Israel to a terror organization and describing the attack against Qatar, a peaceful and mediating country, as vile.
“We observe that the attack targeted efforts for a ceasefire as well as peace and stability in Gaza. Targeting Qatar, which is effectively running mediation to this end, is also significant,” he said, underlining that all these efforts can turn out to be futile if Israel continues to undermine them through attacks.
On a question whether Hamas would give up ceasefire negotiations, Fidan recalled that the Hamas is committed to running them and Türkiye is supporting this approach.
What needs to be done at this point is critically important, according to Fidan, who said that “regional countries and global powers with common sense should be in coordination and show a strong reaction against Israel.”
Recalling that outrage against Israel in the Western world has recently grown and more countries are speaking out against this country, Fidan said, “We see that more countries have decided to recognize Palestine, although it was very much overdue. We are of the opinion that while supporting Palestine, concrete steps and strong decisions must be taken against Israel.
The Turkish top diplomat underlined that Türkiye is in contact with regional countries and informed that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend the joint extraordinary summit of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League in Qatar on Sept. 15.
“We will strongly underline our support to Qatar and to the Palestinian cause during the summit,” he stated.
Attack on Qatar should be wake-up call for West
Minister Fidan, during a joint press conference with Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, condemned the Israeli attack on Qatar and stressed that “this should serve as a wake-up call for those who have long turned a blind eye to Netanyahu.”
Fidan underlined that the European Union and the United Nations must take stronger measures to stop Israel. He added that Qatar, a country known for its peaceful foreign policy and effective mediation efforts, is now also targeted by Israel’s expansionist agenda.
