Turkey plays a critical role in the Palestinian cause at the political level, Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh said on Saturday amid the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Haniyeh commented on Turkey's stance on the Palestinian issue, Palestinian prisoners in Saudi Arabia and the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip while speaking to a television station affiliated with Hamas.
Haniyeh said he respected the Turkish position regarding the Palestinian issue and that Hamas appreciated President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's handling of the Palestinian issue.
Known for its unbreakable solidarity with the Palestinians, Turkey has been voicing support for the Palestinian cause on the international stage for decades. Turkish authorities emphasize that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East is through a fair and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue within the framework of international law and United Nations resolutions.
Turkish officials continue to criticize Israel’s policies targeting Palestinians, including the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Touching on another issue, Haniyed said the revelation that Palestinians were being imprisoned in Saudi Arabia came as shock as the kingdom was viewed as a supporter of the Palestinian cause.
The official urged the Saudi government to release the prisoners.
Haniyeh also underlined that the Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli blockade for about 15 years and that Hamas could no longer remain silent, underlining that the Palestinian resistance group would support any step to break the blockade.
Gaza has been under a tightened Israeli blockade since 2007 and most basic goods still enter the region through highly restricted measures.
Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital – a status not recognized internationally. It captured East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 Six-Day War. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital for their future state.