Denying existence of Palestinians will not bring peace to Israel: Turkish FM

Denying the existence and rights of Palestinians will not bring peace to Israel, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stressed, speaking alongside his Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen in a news conference.

"Israel has to make a choice. Denying the existence and rights of the Palestinians, applying pressure and oppression has not brought peace to Israel and it will not bring peace," Fidan told the conference in the Turkish capital Ankara on Friday.

"Those who remain silent in the face of the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza and those who unconditionally support Israel's crimes become accomplices in this oppression," he added.

Citing the remarks of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Fidan said all of humanity stands at a crossroads in Gaza.

"Either a war will spread to the world, or a great peace will emerge. Türkiye's preference is for peace."

Two-state solution

Fidan said that if Israel wants to live in peace and security, it must respect the Palestinians' right to live on their own land.

"The only way to resolve the issue is to establish an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with geographical integrity, with East Jerusalem its capital, based on the 1967 borders."

Türkiye recommends that external actors do not become complicit in the crimes committed by Israel under the guise of solidarity, he added.

Rasmussen, for his part, stressed the importance of re-energising the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and highlighted that a two-state solution would be a precondition for peace.

"I am pleased that the European leaders ... called for a peace summit in the foreseeable future," Rasmussen said, adding that Türkiye is an important partner and can play an important role in this regard.

Is Hamas a terrorist organisation?

During his press conference with Rasmussen, Fidan also noted some differences in their stances on terrorism.

Türkiye considers the YPG – the terrorist PKK’s Syrian wing – and Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) – the group behind a defeated 2016 coup in Türkiye – terrorist organisations, but other countries do not, he said.

"We informed him (Rasmussen) that we do not consider Hamas, which is a part of the Palestinian state and a political party within the state system, a terrorist organisation."

Stressing that this does not imply the acceptance of the killing of civilians, Fidan said: "On the contrary, we have stated from the very beginning that we condemn it."

Israel launched a relentless bombing campaign on Gaza following a surprise attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on October 7, putting the enclave’s residents under total siege, with a blockade of food, fuel and medical supplies.

Over 8,700 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 7,326 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis. Some 70 percent of Palestinian deaths are women and children, according to official figures.

Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are grappling with shortages of food, water, and medicine due to Israel’s massive air bombardment and blockade of the enclave, with only a trickle of aid allowed into the strip.