UPDATE - Israel now major threat to global peace: Turkish foreign minister

ADDS MORE STATEMENTS BY TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER

By Zehra Nur Celik

ANKARA (AA) – Israel is now a major threat to global peace, aided by nations that provide weapons and political support, the Turkish foreign minister said on Tuesday.

"Today, Israel has become the main threat to international peace and security, but Israel is not committing this crime alone," Hakan Fidan said at a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi.

"There are countries that support Israel, providing it with weapons and political backing," Fidan noted.

Fidan stated that they are closely monitoring developments in Jerusalem, adding, "Al-Aqsa Mosque is a common red line for all Muslims.”

“As the Muslim world, we cannot remain silent in the face of actions and provocations that violate the historical status of our holy sites in Jerusalem," he noted.

The Turkish minister urged the international community to take steps to silence the weapons as soon as possible, rebuild Gaza, and establish a “just and lasting peace."

He noted that Israel wants to block the two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state, and that they cannot remain silent while their Palestinian brothers' lands are being stolen.

"Palestinians have the right to live in their homeland under the roof of their own state,” Fidan remarked.

“This state will be a real state with full authority and capabilities," he noted, adding that they will continue working with Jordan for a two-state solution.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since October of last year’s Hamas attack, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

More than 42,300 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 99,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has resulted in severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is also facing a genocide case in the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

- Israeli occupation in Lebanon

Fidan underlined that Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza for over a year, and now Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also attempting to gradually occupy Lebanon.

About the evacuation of Turkish citizens from Lebanon, the minister said, "We successfully evacuated 966 of our citizens from Lebanon with two of our military ships."

"We have evacuated all citizens who have applied so far," he said.

"(Israel) is targeting humanitarian aid efforts. Israel, which has been killing the people of this region since 1948, is now also targeting foreigners," he said.

Israeli tanks on Sunday forced entry into one of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) positions, in the latest in a series of violations and attacks by the Israeli military which have injured several peacekeeping troops.

Last week, four UNIFIL peacekeepers were injured by the Israeli army's shelling on their posts in southern Lebanon.

On Saturday, all 40 countries contributing to the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon "strongly" condemned the Israeli attacks and called for an investigation.

UNIFIL was established as an interim force in 1978 to help restore peace in the region and as a confirmation of Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

Israel has mounted massive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing at least 1,542 people, injuring over 4,555 others, and displacing more than 1.34 million people. It also began a ground invasion earlier this month.

Touching on Türkiye-Jordan relations, Fidan said they discussed bilateral relations with his Jordanian counterpart and aim to hold the first meeting of the Joint Economic Commission in the first quarter of 2025.

He also expressed a desire to strengthen cooperation in the defense industry, noting that there are many agreements they hope to sign in the coming time to complete these as soon as possible and deepen relations even further.