Erdoğan proposes peace conference for Israeli-Palestine conflict

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has proposed an international peace process for resolving the Israel-Palestine question and has called on all the parties for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to heal the wounds of civilians who have been under attack by Israel since Oct. 7.

“With our humanitarian, political and military presence, we are ready to be one of the guarantors of the Palestinian side. We call on those countries that have a will [for peace] to assess our proposal. We are also proposing the International Palestine-Israel Peace Conference in which all influential actors in the region will participate,” Erdoğan said in his address to his Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group on Oct. 25.

In a comprehensive and lengthy address, Erdoğan explained the Turkish position about the ongoing escalation between Israel and Palestine while criticizing Israel and its Western supporters for the ongoing military operation by the Israeli army against the civilians stranded in Gaza.

He recalled that Türkiye proposed a new mechanism of guarantors for the resolution of the decades-old problem and it currently offers the most effective and concrete proposal to move forward for peace in the region.

On the situation in the field, Erdoğan directed strong-worded criticisms against the ongoing military operation by the Israeli security forces.

“Almost half of those killed as a result of the Israeli attacks against Gaza are children. This alone pictures an atrocity whose purpose is to directly commit crimes against humanity,” Erdoğan said. “Israel’s attacks on Gaza are a situation that attests to both murder and a state of mental illness, both for those who carry them out and for those who support them,” he said, adding, “I call on all other countries that are minded and with a conscience to put pressure on the Netanyahu government for the state of Israel to have common sense.”

Erdoğan slammed the Western countries, particularly the United States which deployed aircraft carriers and other military equipment into the region, for adding fuel to the ongoing fire in the region. He urged Israel that the support it will receive from the U.S. and other countries will not pledge more security to Israel.

“We have no problem with the State of Israel. But we have never approved the atrocities committed by Israel and its style of acting as an organization rather than a state, and we will never do so,” Erdoğan said.

Erdoğan also explained how Türkiye sees Hamas, which has been considered as a terror organization by Israel and Western nations. “You may see Hamas as a terror organization. But for us, Hamas is not a terrorist organization but a group for liberation and of warriors fighting to protect their land and citizens.”

Erdoğan cancels his plan to visit Israel

Stressing that he had a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu in September in New York during the U.N. General Assembly meetings, Erdoğan accused Netanyahu of disrupting the Türkiye’s well-intentioned approach.

“We had a plan to visit Israel but we canceled it. We won’t go,” Erdoğan said, underlining that the bilateral political relations with Israel will be negatively impacted because of the ongoing operation against Gaza.

Türkiye and Israel have recently normalized their relations and exchanged ambassadors after a five-year hiatus. Erdoğan and Netanyahu discussed ways to improve ties during their meeting in New York. Israeli Ambassador to Türkiye İrit Lillian and other diplomats have left Türkiye due to security concerns.

Immediate ceasefire and humanitarian corridor

Erdoğan also listed Türkiye’s expectations from the parties. “An immediate ceasefire should be declared. All the parties should remove their hands from the trigger,” Erdoğan stated.

Opening a humanitarian corridor into Gaza is a must so that food, medical supplies, fuel and other basic needs can be delivered to the civilians, the president stressed, adding that the release of the hostages should also be achieved as soon as possible.