Israel carried its “systematic brutality” in the Gaza Strip to the occupied West Bank, Türkiye said on Friday after three days of deadly Israeli army raids in Palestine.
“Israel wants to spread the war in Gaza to several fronts and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government continues playing with fire,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned at a press conference with his Slovenian counterpart Tanja Fajon in Ljubljana.
“Anyone who remains silent about Gaza is complicit to the sins committed there,” Fidan told reporters, stressing that Israel was “trampling on all humanitarian values” by targeting hospitals, schools, mosques and churches.
Fidan’s remarks come as Israel’s large-scale military operation in the West Bank entered its third day, with the death toll rising to at least 19.
Tel Aviv has described its raids on towns and refugee camps across the northern West Bank as "counterterrorism" operations.
Israel has been fueling tensions in occupied Palestinian territories since it launched its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip in retaliation to a Hamas incursion on Oct. 7 last year. More than 40,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the blockaded enclave.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a settler and proponent of West Bank annexation, has said he would build a synagogue at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque Complex if he could.
“It’s impossible to stay silent in the face of provocations about changing the status quo and history of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Fidan said.
Türkiye has been fiercely critical of Israel’s brutal offensive in Gaza, which it and others say amounts to genocide. It has also slammed many Western allies for their support of Israel and repeatedly called for Muslim unity to facilitate a desperately needed cease-fire.
Ankara urges Israel to reciprocate the constructive approach of the Palestinians in cease-fire negotiations and the international community to pressure Netanyahu’s government.
Türkiye has also formally applied to join South Africa's initiative to have Israel tried for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Tensions between Israel and Türkiye have risen sharply since the start of the war in Gaza as Ankara has cut off commercial ties with Tel Aviv, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan repeatedly trading barbs with Netanyahu.
Fidan pointed out that only a “handful” of countries have taken an economic and political stance against Israel as Türkiye has and stressed that a much larger mechanism should put pressure on Israel.
“We are opposed to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land the way we oppose the occupation of Ukraine,” Fidan said.
The Turkish diplomat also warned that the ongoing war in Ukraine could turn into a nuclear one “any moment.”
“There could be nothing more humane than demanding that this war, which has extracted a high toll, must be stopped,” Fidan said.
“Talks are vital to prevent this war from harming our region any further,” he added.
Türkiye has positioned itself as an intermediary in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Shortly after the conflict broke out in February 2022, Türkiye hosted a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers, and there were unsuccessful talks between negotiators from the two countries to end the hostilities.
Türkiye was instrumental in implementing a now-on-hold deal that allowed for the safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments via the Black Sea despite the blockade of its ports. The accord, brokered by Ankara and the United Nations in July 2022, ended after Moscow refused to renew it. Ankara has ramped up efforts to try to revive the initiative.
Türkiye is ready to host a peace summit with Russia and Ukraine, Erdoğan said in March, as he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul.
Zelenskyy too recently said Türkiye was among the countries Kyiv is in touch with for a second summit on peace.
