ADDS MORE REMARKS OF TURKISH PRESIDENT
By Diyar Guldogan
Israel's recent "disproportionate and unfounded" attacks on Gaza may lead it to international disrepute, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Wednesday.
"The disproportionate and unscrupulous attacks on Gaza could bring Israel into an unexpected and undesirable place in the eyes of world public opinion,” Erdogan said at his Justice and Development (AK) Party's group meeting in the capital Ankara.
"Bombing civilian settlements, deliberately killing civilians, blocking vehicles (that are) bringing humanitarian aid to the region, and trying to present all of these as skills can only be a reflex of a (terrorist) organization, not a state,” he said, adding: “Israel should not forget that if it acts like an organization, not as a state, it will eventually come to be seen like one.”
On the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict that erupted late last week, Erdogan said Türkiye does not find any action against civilians or any attack targeting civilian settlements to be justified.
"A conflict carried out with all kinds of shameful methods is not a war but a massacre," the president stressed.
In a dramatic escalation of Mideast tensions, Israeli forces have launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.
The conflict began on Saturday when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air, which Hamas said was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.
In response to Hamas' actions, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip. Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.
- 'Türkiye is ready to mediate'
Erdogan said that even war has a code of morality and that warring parties must abide by it.
"We openly oppose the killing of civilians on Israeli territory. Likewise, we never accept the indiscriminate massacre of innocents in Gaza being subjected to constant bombardment," he added.
The president also called on international actors to work to calm the situation.
"We regret the provocative attitude of influential actors in the region, who, instead of establishing calm, are fueling the fire. We call on states in America, Europe, and other regions to take positions based on equitable, fair, and humane balances between the parties.
"Everyone should stay away from impulsive decisions that aim to punish the Palestinian people altogether, such as cutting off humanitarian aid," Erdogan said, criticizing a step that Israel has taken this week.
The president reiterated that Türkiye is ready to do whatever it can, including mediation and “fair arbitration,” "to quickly get the region out of this maelstrom."
"We want no more children, civilians, or innocent people to die or more bloodshed, not in Gaza, or Israel, or Syria, not in Ukraine," Erdogan said.
Ankara strongly supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, including the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, as the president stressed.
"I would like to underline that a lasting peace and calm can only come to the region with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, whose legitimacy is based on UN resolutions, with 1967 borders and geographical integrity, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and with its recognition by the whole world.
"Looking for a way other than this, pursuing other enthusiasms, only means more destruction, more tears and loss of life," Erdogan said.
Türkiye will not accept any steps or measures that fail to respect the sanctity of Jerusalem, which contains the holy places of three faiths, and the status of Haram al-Sharif, which includes the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Erdogan stressed.
"Only in this way is it possible for Israel to maintain its existence as a state and ensure the safety of its citizens. Otherwise, the events that have occurred since last Saturday will not be the last, and it will be inevitable that much greater tragedies will follow," he added.
After Hamas’ attack last Saturday, the frequent storming of Al-Aqsa by radical Israelis – breaking the rules for the holy site – was among the grievances it cited.
Türkiye never wants Israel, Palestine, or the region to be dragged into a "vicious circle," the president stressed.
In a dramatic escalation of Mideast tensions, Israeli forces have launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.
The conflict began on Saturday when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air, which Hamas said was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.
In response to Hamas' actions, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip. Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.