'We cannot wait for the goodwill of Israel to implement the two-state solution': Turkish foreign minister

By Serife Cetin and Servet Gunerigok

NEW YORK (AA) - Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Thursday criticized Israel’s refusal to implement a two-state solution and warned that the unresolved Palestinian issue threatens to destabilize the entire region.

"We cannot wait for the goodwill of Israel to implement the two-state solution," Fidan said during a ministerial meeting on Gaza organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League Gaza Contact Group, the European Union and Norway on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.

"The decision of the Israeli parliament to deny a Palestinian state and the two-state solution is clear enough," he said. "This is pure greed that should not be condoned."

Stating that Israel's relentless killing spree in Gaza persists with no end in sight, Fidan said: "The cease-fire talks are at an impasse because (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu torpedoed them whenever a cease-fire seemed within reach.”

"Israel expanded its aggression first to the West Bank and East Jerusalem and now to Lebanon," he said.

Israel has pounded Lebanon since early Monday, killing at least 677 people and injuring more than 2,500, according to figures released by the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's onslaught against Gaza, which has killed more than 41,500 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas last Oct. 7.

The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of spreading the Gaza conflict regionally.

- 'Our region is engulfed with flames because of Netanyahu'

The foreign minister said Türkiye has long voiced that if the Palestinian question remains unresolved, it will drag the entire region into "a black hole.”

"This is exactly what is happening now with Lebanon. Our region is engulfed with flames because of Netanyahu," said Fidan.

"We are at a make-or-break moment. The genocidal aggression of Israel has raised a sincere awareness as to the true nature of the problem," he said.

He recalled that nine other countries have recently recognized the State of Palestine, expressing confidence that more will follow suit.

"A Palestinian State is not a utopia. It is a fact, my friends. We should all embrace this in our narrative and for our deeds," said Fidan.

Fidan said the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice and the UN General Assembly resolution dated May 10, 2024 opened a new path, and added: "Now, we are one veto short of our objective.”

"The State of Palestine should be a full UN member," he stressed.

The minister also said the occupation of Palestine has never brought peace or more security to Israel, adding that "implementation of the two-state solution will also ensure durable security for all."

Fidan also recalled that Türkiye proposed the establishment of a guarantorship mechanism to address the security needs of both countries.

"The two-state solution is an endgame and it should be implemented before too late," he added.