Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan joined a meeting of the Contact Group on Sunday in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh. The group, formed by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League, aims to end Israel’s atrocities in Gaza and establish permanent peace between Palestine and Israel.
Fidan, who toured major capitals with other members of the Contact Group in the past months for diplomatic efforts, is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the meeting.
Diplomatic sources said that the Contact Group meeting discussed steps for recognition of a Palestinian state and ways to press upon countries supporting Israel. The meeting also discussed decisions on those matters that may be made in the upcoming OIC summit that will be held on May 4 in Gambia’s Banjul.
Sources said Fidan will hold talks on Sunday and Monday with the foreign ministers of Jordan, Norway and Yemen, as well as Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The contact group was established at a joint summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League in Saudi Arabia in November to stop the conflict in Gaza and help achieve lasting peace. It includes officials from Türkiye, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Nigeria and Palestine. The United Nations Security Council had approved a resolution on March 25 calling for an immediate cease-fire but it has never been enacted.
Fidan recently visited Qatar, which has been mediating between Israel and Hamas to put an end to the conflict. He also recently hosted his Egyptian counterpart and was present when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received an official visit by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on April 20 in Istanbul.
Türkiye is among the advocates of a two-state solution to the conflict, endorsing the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and based on the borders prior to the 1967 war. Ankara fully severed ties with Israel after the latter launched a brutal campaign targeting innocent civilians in Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 incursion.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last Friday renewed his criticism at an event on the historic identity of Jerusalem held in Istanbul.
The Turkish president said that the Palestinians, "whose lands are being gradually occupied, are subjected to one of the most brutal oppressions in history." He added that anyone looking for "modern pharaohs need not look far, just look at those who have mercilessly killed 35,000 Palestinians in the last 203 days," referring to Israel's monthslong offensive on the Gaza Strip. "Netanyahu, like villains before him, has etched his name in history with shame as the 'Butcher of Gaza,'" Erdoğan added. He further stated that today's Hitler and Nazis are the killers who killed over 15,000 children in Gaza, adding that the "dark stain on Netanyahu's forehead will never fade, no matter what he does." As Palestinians in Gaza have been resisting for 203 days despite all odds, "no one can expect us to remain silent in the face of the genocide," he declared. "We cannot be among those who falsely accuse Hamas of being a terrorist organization just because Israel and its Western supporters want it so," the president said, adding: "We will continue to see our Hamas brothers, who defend their homeland against occupiers, as the National Resistance of Palestine."
Erdoğan reiterated that Türkiye will continue its efforts for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He described the U.S. veto on Palestine's U.N. membership bid as a "great disgrace" and "serious injustice." "The U.S. veto once again proves the validity of our assertion that 'the world is bigger than five,'" he said, referring to the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council who have veto power. Expressing his belief that a fairer world is possible, Erdoğan said: "We must increase our efforts to hold Israel and its leaders, especially 'Butcher Netanyahu,' accountable before the law," Erdogan said, adding that Türkiye will continue to support Palestine "with all our means."
He further said that by using the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas as an excuse, no one can "justify killing newborn babies in incubators, raining bombs on civilians, killing people waiting in line for a loaf of bread, deliberately targeting mosques, churches, schools and hospitals, turning Gaza into a massive graveyard, and not adhering to the minimum standards of international law."
Erdoğan further said that Türkiye is the only country implementing export restrictions on Israel in 54 product groups.
Reiterating Türkiye's diplomatic efforts to establish a lasting cease-fire in Gaza, Erdoğan said that Ankara is making efforts to reconcile the differences between the Palestinian government and Palestinian groups.
He also said the U.S.' "unconditional military and diplomatic support to Israel does not contribute to a solution but rather exacerbates the problem."
"While 35,000 people were mercilessly killed in Gaza, the approval of a $25 billion military aid package to Israel by the U.S. Senate is the clearest indication of this," Erdoğan added, referring to a new aid package passed last week for Israel. When it comes to Israel, "the values of the West including freedom, democracy, the rule of law, freedom of expression, thought and the press have been forgotten and immediately shelved," he said.
