UPDATE - ‘We cannot remain silent': Turkish foreign minister condemns Israeli oppression in Gaza

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY FIDAN, REVISIONS THROUGHOUT

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) — Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday spoke out against "Israeli oppression" in the Gaza Strip, following a summit of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation in Istanbul.

"In Istanbul, we (D-8 countries) declare together to the whole world that we are not silent in the face of Israeli oppression in Gaza and we cannot remain silent," Hakan Fidan said at a joint news conference held after the Extraordinary Developing-8 Countries Foreign Ministers Council Meeting.

"As D-8 countries, with a (total) Muslim population of over 1 billion, we gathered in Istanbul to support our Palestinian brothers and sisters ... The Palestinian cause has always been our common ground," Fidan said.

Fidan delivered his remarks at the Dolmabahce Presidential Working Office after the high-profile meeting, where the ministers of the D-8 countries — Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Türkiye — gathered to discuss pressing global issues.

He stressed the need for consistent international principles, drawing parallels between global reactions to conflicts in different regions.

"Those who oppose occupation in Ukraine consider resistance to occupation in Palestine a crime. Gaza has shown the helplessness and inadequacy of the international system in all its starkness," Fidan asserted.

Fidan also emphasized that D-8 countries would mobilize all resources to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza as soon as possible and deliver humanitarian aid.

"We will work with all our strength to stop the Israeli occupation and achieve a two-state solution. The fundamentalist Netanyahu government continues to play with fire. (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu does not hesitate to endanger the future of everyone in the region, including his own people," he said.

Fidan asserted that statehood is a natural right for Palestinians, noting that Palestine is recognized as a state by the majority of countries in the world.

"But because of the US veto, it cannot become a full member of the UN. As D-8 countries, we want an end to this injustice immediately. We appreciate all countries that oppose such injustices and act with principles and fairness.

- 'Israel is becoming increasingly isolated'

Fidan concluded with a call for unity and expressed "hope for the future" in the bold stance some European countries and the Western public have taken against Israeli actions.

"Israel is becoming increasingly isolated. As D-8 countries, we are determined to act together, not only in economic cooperation but also on the issue of Palestine."

"We are not waiting for a solution from others. We meet for a solution, we consult each other, and we move forward together," he said.

The D-8 Organization, established in 1997, aims to enhance economic cooperation among its member states. However, recent geopolitical tensions have seen the group increasingly vocal on global political issues, particularly those affecting Muslim-majority countries.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last Oct. 7 despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire

More than 36,800 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 83,500 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.