Hamas accepting conditions on cease-fire is seen by Israel as ‘weakness, surrender’: Turkish foreign minister

ISTANBUL

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday said that Israel sees Hamas accepting conditions on a cease-fire as “weakness, surrender,” which hinders reaching a deal and is “highly dangerous,” stressing the need to put more pressure on Israel.​​​​​​​

“Whenever there’s a positive and constructive atmosphere (on a possible cease-fire), Israel and (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu end up committing new massacres. They appear to enter negotiations only as a propaganda tool, showing no real intention for peace,” Fidan said during a joint news conference with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, who is visiting Türkiye.

Saying that his meeting with al Saud also addressed regional issues and beyond, including Sudan, Yemen, and achieving an urgent and lasting cease-fire in Gaza, Fidan added: “We sincerely desire a permanent cease-fire and an end to the bloodshed in Gaza. Thus, we have consistently provided strong support for the negotiation processes underway.”

Mentioning Israel’s Saturday attack on civilians in Khan Younis, which killed at least 90 people and injured hundreds more, Fidan said Tel Aviv’s intention is not to stop the conflict but to continue “its policy of annihilating the Palestinian people.”

Fidan underlined the importance of keeping the Gaza issue at the top of the agenda, noting the urgency of halting the humanitarian crisis there as soon as possible.

He urged Tel Aviv to accept a cease-fire agreement as soon as possible and stop the bloodshed, saying: “Otherwise, just as our previous warnings have proven correct, we do not wish to be proven right again.”

“But there is a reality that every reasonable and fair-minded person sees. If you continue down this road, it will lead to more deaths, more massacres, and more instability. We do not want to see this happen,” he added.

He urged Israel to completely withdraw from Gaza so reconstruction can begin “without delay.”

“To achieve a just and lasting peace, an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem must be established immediately, based on the 1967 borders,” he added.

“As members of the Gaza Contact Group, we strongly oppose Israel’s reckless rejection of a peaceful vision and its efforts to escalate regional conflict,” Fidan said.

Stressing that the ongoing brutality in Gaza poses a “serious global security threat,” Fidan said any misstep could lead to “dire consequences that are irreparable.”

He said Ankara is in agreement with Riyadh on initiating a political process based on a two-state solution to stop the brutality in Gaza.

Ties between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia

Saying that during the meeting they reviewed the current state of bilateral relations and explored opportunities to enhance cooperation in all fields, Fidan stated: “In this context, we expressed our desire to revitalize the Turkish-Saudi Coordination Council, which was established in 2016 and held its first meeting in Ankara in 2017.”

Stating that trade volume between the two nations last year reached $6.8 billion, Fidan said the new goal is to increase it to $10 billion initially and eventually to $30 billion, in a request from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“I believe that revisiting the Türkiye-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement, after approximately 14 years, will significantly contribute to achieving our goals,” he added.

Telling how Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman’s visit to Türkiye in recent weeks constituted a crucial step in military and defense industry cooperation, Fidan said they reaffirmed their shared commitment to further strengthen defense collaboration.

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