Gaza crisis exposes international system's bias toward privileged few: Turkish foreign minister

ISTANBUL

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Tuesday criticized the international system for having been designed to benefit a select privileged few, citing the events unfolding in Gaza as a clear example.

"What's happening in Gaza is a living testimony to the fact that the international system has been designed, used, and abused to the privilege of a few," Fidan said at the Global Diplomacy and Future of Palestine conference in Ankara.

He also referred to the situation in Gaza as "a genocide," saying "42,000 people, mostly women and children, have been murdered, killed, intentionally and systematically."

Furthermore, Fidan emphasized that the tragedy is not new but has been going on for 70 years, and expressed deep frustration with the international community.

"Unfortunately, the international community, starting with ourselves, the Muslim community, and the Arab community, has been useless, powerless, and hopeless in stopping this ongoing tragedy."

He criticized attempts to justify the deaths as collateral damage and denounced the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in military operations, saying, "It's not us. This is the machine. It kills."

The Turkish foreign minister also reiterated Türkiye’s stance on the two-state solution as the only viable path to peace, saying, "If Palestinians have their own country, land, freedom, dignity, why would they need to fight?"

He also called on the global community to push for a two-state solution, noting that over 150 countries have recognized Palestine at the UN.

Fidan urged immediate action, warning that unless a solution is found, the conflict will escalate into a larger regional and global crisis.

Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 42,300 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 98,600 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.