Turkish, US top diplomats discuss Israeli-Hamas conflict

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken have spoken over the phone to discuss the recent developments in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, as the Turkish top diplomat mentioned about the unacceptability of collective punishment of civilians in Gaza.

The two men discussed “the need for engagement with regional leaders to prevent the spread of the Israel-Hamas conflict, secure the release of hostages, and mobilize humanitarian aid,” according to the diplomatic sources.

The Turkish diplomatic sources informed that Fidan told his counterpart that all-out attacks against the Gaza people without separating the civilians from the armed militants are unacceptable.

Türkiye has been one of the most vocal countries in condemning the continued attacks by the Israeli security forces that claimed the lives of more than 8,000 people, mostly children and women. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stressed that Israel is committing crimes against humanity and repeated Ankara’s calls for an immediate ceasefire.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, for his part, stressed that Blinken shared President Joe Biden’s announcement that the United States will provide $100 million in humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.

Both sides also confirmed that they discussed progress on Sweden’s accession to NATO after the Turkish government submitted the Nordic state’s accession protocol to the parliament for ratification.

The accession protocol will be first discussed at the Foreign Affairs Committee and then will be taken to the General Assembly for a vote. A simple majority of 600 lawmakers is enough to greenlight Sweden into NATO.