Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urged the Islamic world to increase pressure for applying an arms embargo on Israel, diplomatic sources said on Sunday. Fidan spoke at an extraordinary summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)-Arab League foreign ministers in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh on Sunday.
He noted that Türkiye received support from 52 countries, including permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, on the issue and said everyone should do whatever they can and take more responsibility. “It is time to demonstrate our unity,” he said.
Türkiye is a major opponent of Israel’s brutal campaign amounting to genocide that targets Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere. Ankara views the West as the main enabler of the war crimes committed by the Netanyahu administration with their unconditional support to what President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has previously called a “death machine.”
Fidan highlighted at the Riyadh meeting that Israel’s genocide in Gaza should be stopped and this could be possible through acting in unison and cooperation. He also stressed the threat against Al-Aqsa Mosque, pointing out an open declaration by certain Israeli far-right figures for changing the historical status quo of the sacred site.
He underlined that the Palestine issue is not an issue for all Muslims and “one voice” was needed, along with “action.” He stated that determination or moral ground on the problem existed, but “forced measures” were lacking. “There are concrete measures that should be taken to stop the bloodshed and prevent imminent regional war,” he added, sources said.
Türkiye’s top diplomat noted that several countries continued delivering arms and munitions to Israel to sustain its war. “As a first step, we can exert pressure for an arms embargo on Israel,” he said, referring to Türkiye’s U.N. initiative to that extent. Fidan said other measures included halting trade with Israel and joining an ongoing genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. He also called upon support of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), a lifeline for Gaza whose operations are banned by Israel.
The summit Fidan attended will review the implementation of resolutions adopted last year and is expected to yield new measures calling for an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Lebanon. One of last year's key outcomes was the formation of a Gaza Contact Group, comprising Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Palestine, Indonesia and Nigeria, to address the crisis in the Palestinian enclave, where Israel has continued its brutal offensive over the past 13 months. The group has since conducted international visits and engaged with global organizations, advocating for a two-state solution and increasing awareness of Palestinian issues.
The Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit was held in Riyadh last November to address Israel's aggression against Palestinians.
A joint statement from the last summit called on member states to increase political, diplomatic and legal pressure on Israel and urged the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution on cease-fire.
It also recommended suspending arms sales to Israel, enhancing humanitarian aid for Gaza and requested the U.N. secretary-general to propose an international protection mechanism for Palestinian civilians.
The statement recommended convening an international conference on a comprehensive peace process, urging phased international guarantees and an investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) into Israel's use of chemical weapons in Gaza.
The International Criminal Court was also urged to expedite investigations into potential war crimes and crimes against humanity involving Israel, while member states were encouraged to coordinate actions within the U.N. Human Rights Council and other humanitarian entities.
In recent meetings held in the Gambia and Cameroon, member states reiterated their support for Palestine.
Türkiye will host the 51st OIC Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in 2025, marking its assumption of the conference's rotating chairmanship for a one-year term.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023.
The Israeli onslaught has killed 43,550 Palestinians and injured 102,700 others, displacing almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.
Mediation efforts led by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to halt the war.
