Turkish foreign minister to attend OIC-Arab League foreign ministers meeting on Gaza crisis

By Muhammet Tarhan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to participate in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)-Arab League foreign ministers meeting on Sunday to discuss Gaza crisis.

The foreign minister’s meeting will be held as part of the extraordinary Joint Arab-Islamic follow-up summit in the Saudi capital Riyadh, according to Turkish diplomatic sources on Saturday.

The summit will review the implementation of resolutions adopted last year and is expected to yield new measures calling for an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.

One of last year’s key outcomes was the formation of a Gaza Contact Group, comprising Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Palestine, Indonesia, and Nigeria, to address the crisis in the Palestinian enclave, where Israel has continued its brutal offensive over the past 13 months.

The group has since conducted international visits and engaged with global organizations, advocating for a two-state solution and increased awareness of Palestinian issues.

- Last year’s joint statement call legal pressure on Israel

The Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit was held in Riyadh last November to address Israel’s aggression against Palestinians.

A joint statement from the last summit called on member states to increase political, diplomatic, and legal pressure on Israel and urged the UN Security Council to pass a resolution on cease-fire.

It also recommended suspending arms sales to Israel, enhancing humanitarian aid for Gaza, and requested the UN secretary-general to propose an international protection mechanism for Palestinian civilians.

The statement recommended convening an international conference on a comprehensive peace process, urging phased international guarantees and an investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) into Israel’s use of chemical weapons in Gaza.

The International Criminal Court was also urged to expedite investigations into potential war crimes and crimes against humanity involving Israel, while member states were encouraged to coordinate actions within the UN Human Rights Council and other humanitarian entities.

In recent meetings held in the Gambia, and Cameroon, member states reiterated their support for Palestine.

Türkiye will host the 51st OIC Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in 2025, marking its assumption of the conference’s rotating chairmanship for a one-year term.

- Situation in Gaza

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.

The Israeli onslaught has killed 43,550 Palestinians and injured 102,700 others, displacing almost the entire population of the territory 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 also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.