'We reject any plan that forces Palestinians to leave their homeland': Turkish foreign minister

ISTANBUL

Türkiye's foreign minister on Friday underlined the urgent need for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, stressing that no plan forcing the Palestinians to leave their homeland is at all acceptable.

"We reject any plan that forces Palestinians to abandon their homeland," Hakan Fidan said after a meeting of the Gaza Contact Group in the southern Turkish city of Antalya under the title “Two-State Solution and Lasting Peace in the Middle East.”

Later in the day, the meeting continued in an "expanded format" with the participation of additional countries, said Fidan.

Fidan said the discussions included foreign ministers from Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, and Indonesia, as well as the secretaries-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League. Representatives from the United Arab Emirates, China, Russia, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Slovenia, Nigeria, and the EU also took part.

Today's meetings focused on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, efforts to reestablish a ceasefire, and developments in the occupied territories, Fidan said, stressing concerns over Israel’s rising aggression and discussions of potential steps the international community could take to achieve a lasting peace and two-state solution.

“A lasting ceasefire must be established as soon as possible. We support the ceasefire initiative led by Qatar, Egypt, and the US," he added.

"We support the reconstruction plan for Gaza that has been endorsed by the Arab League. We stand behind the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. We call on the international community to provide all possible support to achieve peace," Fidan said.

The Turkish foreign minister said the oppression faced by Palestinians also undermines international law and universal values.

“Israel’s aggressive stance leads to instability on a regional level and lawlessness on a global scale. However, the violence Israel has inflicted on Palestinians for the past 80 years has failed. Palestinians have not abandoned their homeland. They have not given up on their cause. We are confident that Palestinians will one day live in peace and security under the roof of their own state," he added.

Emphasizing the two-state solution would also ensure Israel’s security, Fidan said, adding: “We call on Israel to immediately declare a ceasefire and make peace with the Palestinians.”

Türkiye will continue to raise the issues of the Palestinian people on every platform, he said.

The minister also stressed that the United Nations has failed to meet the international community’s expectations for peace and justice, and warned that the Security Council now represents an order that “sides with the powerful.”

Fidan said the clearest example of this failure is the council’s silence in the face of the massacre in Gaza.

“The UN Security Council remained silent and ineffective. That silence grew, injustice deepened, and consciences were wounded,” he said. “What we are left with is a crisis of legitimacy.”