ISTANBUL

Palestinian people need “our collective action,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Monday at the opening of an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Gaza.

Speaking at the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting held in Jeddah, Fidan said: “What the Palestinian people need is our collective action.”

He underlined the importance of “coordinated pressure” to force Israel toward a lasting solution, and said: “The conscience of the ummah (Muslim community) and the OIC must grasp this moment to speak and act with one powerful voice.”

Fidan emphasized that the “strong presence” and high-level participation from OIC member states in this extraordinary session stand as “a powerful testament to our unity.”

He said the “historic identity and states of Quds are under direct assault” and reaffirmed Ankara’s unwavering solidarity with the Noting that the mobilization of the entire international community is “indispensable,” Fidan said the meeting will focus on three urgent tasks: “Halting the war, forging the united response of the Islamic Ummah, and mobilizing the international community.”

Stressing the starvation in Gaza and the UN declaration of famine, the Turkish foreign minister said the situation is not a natural disaster. “Israel's deliberate obstruction of aid resulted in this man-made famine.”

“Israel has added yet another crime against humanity to its record of shame. Meanwhile, Israeli military operations expand deeper into Gaza City, where millions have taken refuge. Settlement projects in the West Bank threaten the vision of a contiguous and sovereign Palestinian state,” Fidan said.

“It is clear that Israel does not seek peace but the erasure of Palestine; this cannot be allowed,” he said, condemning the “extremist provocations,” including those by Israeli ministers, desecrating the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Al-Quds.

Stating that the immediate priority is a lasting ceasefire, he said: “Hamas has already accepted the ceasefire plan proposed by our Qatari and Egyptian brothers. We will continue to support the peace efforts of Qatar, Egypt, and the United States and do our best to help mediators. A deal is within reach, but the aggressor must also agree.”

He emphasized the importance of ensuring Palestinians remain in Gaza and said that the Gaza Strip must be rebuilt collectively.

“Thanks to our collective efforts, the awareness of the international community is growing. Public opinion in Western societies has finally begun to shift,” he added.

OIC, Arab League, Gaza Group Crucial in mobilizing support for Palestine statehood

“The tide is turning against Israel's policies of occupation and oppression,” Fidan said, adding that the high-level conference in New York, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France in July, marked “a historic milestone that rallied global support for the two-state solution.” He emphasized that many countries, including France, the UK, Canada, and Australia, announced they would recognize the Palestinian state.

Stressing that the recognition of the Palestinian state has now become an “irreversible reality,” the minister said recognition is not sufficient alone, and Palestine also needs financial, technical, and institutional support to stand on firm ground.

“If a ceasefire is not secured soon, Israel will continue its occupation plans and escalate its adversities,” he warned, suggesting that efforts should focus on securing Palestine’s full UN membership, possibly suspending Israel from the General Assembly, and planning Gaza’s reconstruction through the Arab-Islamic plan.

Pointing out that the OIC was born to defend Al-Aqsa Mosque and to safeguard the Palestinian cause, he said any “weakness on these fronts risks eroding our very reason for existence. Furthermore, Israel’s aggression will not stop with Palestine.”

"The frequent and unlawful attacks of the Netanyahu regime on Syria, Lebanon, and Iran reveal a broader and sinister agenda to destabilize our entire region. If not stopped, this reckless course threatens to engulf the Middle East and beyond,” Fidan said.

Let our resolution today be a pledge: Palestine will endure, and its people, inshallah, will attain freedom, justice, and peace,” he added.

Israel has killed nearly 62,700 Palestinians in a brutal onslaught on Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.