Turkish deputy FM criticizes Israel over failure in peace attempts

ANKARA

Israel’s attitude is to blame for the failure to reach a peaceful and just solution to the Palestinian issue, Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yıldız has said.

“The real obstacle to the settlement of the Palestinian problem is obviously the result of Israel’s incompatible attitude and the understanding of Israeli politicians who assume Israel’s interests are more important and superior than that of anyone else in the region,” Yıldız said at the panel “The Middle East Peace Process in the New International Order” on March 28. 

In recent years, the international community, and especially the United States, has come to the conclusion that the only solution is a “two-state solution,” Yıldız said, adding that Turkey also shares this view.

“Turkey holds the recognition of an equal and sovereign Palestinian state as a priority,” he stated.

Palestinian Deputy Foreign Minister Amal Jadou, meanwhile, said Israeli policies in and around Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa Mosque were “extremely disturbing.”

Jadou recalled U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign statements against Palestine, noting that his idea of moving the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was very dangerous and should be prevented.