Türkiye has ramped up its diplomatic efforts to ease the escalating Israeli-Palestinian tension and violence.
To that end, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday.
The leaders of the two Muslim-majority countries discussed the worsening situation in the Middle East as Israel adopted a war posture in response to a surprise attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
Also Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone call with the British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.
Fidan and Cleverly also discussed the Israel-Palestine situation at length, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
Earlier Sunday, Minister Fidan held a series of calls with the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Blinken encouraged Ankara's continued engagement and highlighted the U.S.' focus on halting attacks by Hamas and securing the release of hostages, the State Department said in a statement.
Also on Sunday, President Erdoğan said Türkiye was determined to ramp up diplomatic efforts to achieve calm in the fighting between Israel and Palestinian groups, but added that a two-state solution was the only way to achieve regional peace.
Speaking in Istanbul, Erdoğan repeated a call for both sides to avoid steps that will exacerbate the conflict and added that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was at the root of all problems in the Middle East.
"So long as this problem is not resolved in a fair way, our region will continue to live in longing of peace," he said.
"Lasting regional peace will only be possible by finding a final solution to the Palestinian-Israeli issue. In this regard, as we have always underlined, the preservation of the two-state solution perspective is very important."
He added the formation of an independent Palestinian state, in line with the borders set out in 1967, with its territorial integrity intact, and with Jerusalem as its capital was now "a necessity that cannot be delayed."
"As justice is delayed, unfortunately, the price of this is paid by Palestinians, Israelis, and our whole region," Erdoğan said.
