Türkiye is presenting a guarantorship model for the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine to countries it is in discussion with to ease tensions, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Monday.
Speaking to Ankara Bureau Chiefs of newspapers, Fidan said that the proposal is currently being discussed in a small circle, while Ankara will voice it to a wider audience during the upcoming extraordinary Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday focusing on the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
“We put forth the main idea of guarantorship, the systematic of this needs to be discussed separately. This is a proposal, if there are better proposals we will evaluate them. However, what is important is to recognize this crisis as a means to take a step toward realizing the two-state solution and to bring lasting peace to the region,” Fidan added, indicating that regional countries must take on responsibility for the issue.
“What happened on Oct. 7 was a surprise for everyone, especially Israel. The fact that it was easy to cross from Gaza to the other side and the operational results of this surprised everyone. It was also a surprise that after a certain section of the wall was demolished, not only Hamas members but also other groups and civilians could cross while not encountering any resistance,” the top envoy said.
“Actually, this is an issue that revealed Israel’s weakness and might be discussed for years to come.”
Fighting began on Oct. 7 when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing settler violence.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.
Gaza is currently undergoing a dire humanitarian crisis, with no electricity, while water, food, fuel and medical supplies are running out, as civilians flee to the south following Israel's warning to evacuate northern areas.
Türkiye and Qatar are meanwhile also continuing talks for an exchange of Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Aid from Ankara has reached Egypt’s Arish port and airport, and the country is in talks with other countries as well as Cairo for the operation of the gate.
Reiterating that civilians must not be targeted, Fidan said that Türkiye is engaged in busy diplomatic traffic to ensure the protection of civilians, the flow of vital aid as well as reaching calm.
“We spoke with our interlocutors many times upon the request of the Americans, and also with other countries. As you know, we went to Egypt. We are going to Lebanon. After Lebanon, there is an Extraordinary Emergency Meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation at the level of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah, we will go there. Our president has intense contact traffic as does our ministry and intelligence units,” he continued.
Saying it is unacceptable that Israel moves civilians through fear from Gaza’s north to south, Fidan said that the issue was discussed with interlocutors.
He elaborated that after bringing the civilian situation under control, countries need to focus on halting this spiral and achieving peace.
“Israel has suspended the two-state solution process to date. Previously, Israel faced the problem of being accepted by the Arabs and other countries in the region. Once its existence was accepted, it became easier not to accept the other this time,” Fidan underlined.
Fidan was referring to the 2020 U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords that saw Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Morocco establish formal ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia was similarly in talks for normalization with Israel until the Hamas attack was launched.
"Let us not forget that the double standards on the Palestinian problem was one of the main issues feeding the creation of organizations such as Daesh in the Islamic world. When Muslim countries cannot give a proper reaction to crises, organizations prefer to respond with their own possibilities and we face a picture that regular states and systems do not want to see."
The international community has to force Israel toward accepting the two-state solution, Fidan highlighted.
“Nothing is being done against Israel usurping the land of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and elsewhere, its refusal to allow a two-state solution, and its efforts to change the status of Jerusalem. In other words, the problem is identified, a large consensus is created around the problem, but it cannot be transformed into an attitude,” Fidan said, indicating that since no concrete stance is being shown toward Israel, it continues its acts and does not change its attitude.
“Countries in the region, the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation should attach importance to this. We even go further and suggest that the countries that will be guarantors to the Palestinian side should be from the region. This includes Türkiye. Other countries should be guarantors for Israel. Once an agreement is reached that both parties agree on, the guarantor countries should assume responsibility for fulfilling its requirements,” he said.
Fidan said that many countries reached out to Türkiye to discuss the conflict and that 95% of calls came at the request of the other side.
“This is actually proving the importance of Türkiye as well as the need for our country.”
Speaking on the role of China and Russia, Fidan said that their stance is essential, being members of the United Nations.
“Our views with China on the Palestine issue largely overlap.”
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemned Israel's actions for going "beyond the scope of self-defense" and called for it to "cease its collective punishment of the people of Gaza."
China has been stepping up its role in the Middle East recently while this year, it brokered an entente between former regional foes Iran and Saudi Arabia.
On the role of Iran, Fidan said: “In this issue, Iran is an important topic with both the political and military aspects. In recent years, Iran's efforts to take revenge on Israel and Hamas' struggle for freedom intersect. It seems that they mutually benefit from each other. As of now, our priority is to prevent the geographical spread of the conflict.”
He said that the U.S. aircraft carrier which has been dispatched to the region, is a deterrence in the case of the conflict spreading to the region.
Fidan also indicated that both Israel and Hezbollah are engaged in a military buildup right now at the border with Lebanon.
“The Lebanese government is naturally worried about a possible war, as it thinks this will worsen the country's economy.”
Saying that time will show which strategies Iran and Israel will follow, Türkiye’s top diplomat continued: “Currently, both groups are in a very emotional and vengeful environment. There are no braking mechanisms to avoid certain steps that could bring about major disasters. We tell all our interlocutors, including the Americans, that Israelis cannot think clearly right now. That's why we, as parties with common sense, are obliged to give the most accurate advice.”
Fidan also touched upon tensions with the U.S. in Syria after Türkiye stepped up its counterterrorism operations in retaliation for a PKK terrorist attack in Ankara earlier this month that wounded two security personnel, and the downing of an armed Turkish drone in northern Syria by U.S. forces.
“If the terrorist organization makes an attack within Türkiye, it will not get its answer in caves in Iraq from now on. We redeliver every attack to its address. If someone tries to harm our economy, our tourism, by using a vehicle on Istiklal Street, they will know that they will pay a very heavy price.”
Fidan said that the Syrian wing of the PKK, the YPG, will not be able to harbor in the region once the U.S. withdraws from Syria.
“Because the local people there, Arabs and Syrians, are also uncomfortable with them. The only excuse of those who support them is the fight against Daesh.”
After Türkiye intensified its cross-border operations, The White House claimed that Ankara undermined the efforts to fight Daesh and posed “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”
“Actually, there is no active fight against Daesh right now. There are only Daesh prisoners and they (U.S.) use the PKK as jailkeepers. As you know, Guantanamo Bay caused a significant crisis in internal U.S. politics. Therefore, they now use a terrorist organization as guards for Daesh,” Fidan underlined.
The U.S. left its bases in northern Syria after Türkiye launched its Peace Spring operation in October 2019 against the PKK/YPG, concentrating its military near oil fields. Washington, however, maintained its support for the terrorist group. U.S. forces are active in Hassakeh and Deir el-Zour, in areas occupied by the terrorist group and continuously send supplies to those areas.
The PKK is designated a terrorist organization in the U.S., Türkiye and the European Union. Washington’s support for the terrorist group in Syria has significantly strained bilateral relations with Ankara. The terrorist group has used bases across Türkiye’s border in northern Iraq and northern Syria to plot and carry out attacks on the country, working to create a terrorist corridor along the borderline, threatening both Syrian locals and nearby Turkish residents.
