We must end historical injustice against Palestine: FM

ISTANBUL

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has emphasized the need for a lasting solution to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian question by ending historical injustice against Palestine through a genuine peace project amid the ongoing Israeli offensive on Gaza.

“We must put an end to this historical injustice. We, as Türkiye, will never retreat from standing with Palestine,” Fidan said in his address to a conference held by the Communications Directorate devoted to strategic communication, dubbed the Stratcom, in Istanbul on Nov. 24.

Foreign Minister Fidan delivered a lengthy speech at the conference in which he highlighted the importance of fighting against disinformation, a new component of hybrid war. He also touched on current geopolitical matters and how Türkiye is positioning itself.

Highlighting the continued crisis in the Middle East as an important threat to regional and global security with Israel’s cruelty that has killed more than 13,000 civilians in Gaza, Fidan informed about the intensified diplomatic efforts by some prominent Islamic countries for ending the bloodshed and launching a new process for peace.

“We have to bring about a lasting solution through new methods and rhetoric,” Fidan said, repeating Ankara’s proposal for the establishment of a guarantorship mechanism to push Israel and Palestine for peace.

“I welcome to hear that our proposal is being mentioned around,” he said.

Fidan recalled that he and six foreign ministers from prominent Islamic countries toured European countries, including Britain and France, to press for a ceasefire and flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

“We are happy to hear that the need for a lasting and fair solution on the basis of a two-state formula with a sovereign and independent State of Palestine based on 1967 borders is a generally accepted issue,” Fidan said, adding to reach this point everyone should believe in genuine peace.

Moral disruption of the West

Fidan also expressed his observations that the gap between the Western people and their administrations is getting wider as the former does not accept the ongoing humanitarian tragedy of the Palestinians at the hands of Israel. “That’s why I am once again calling on the Western world. Keep your distance from Israeli atrocities,” he said, describing the current stance of the administration as an indication of moral disruption.

“They even cannot make a call for a ceasefire,” the minister added.

Joint fight against terror

Fidan also mentioned about Türkiye’s fight against terror organizations and its calls for global cooperation in this field.

Criticizing the United States for allying with the YPG in northern Syria as a strategic mistake, Fidan said, “I reiterate that we will take every action and every measure for our national security.”

“We are expecting a principled approach from our allies and friends on the fight against terrorism,” the minister said, recalling that NATO has started to update its anti-terror documents and methods after Türkiye’s interventions.