In an interview with Hurriyet, a major Turkish newspaper with the country’s highest circulation, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that Israel was planning to encourage PA Arabs to leave the Gaza Strip, Judea, and Samaria.
“Israel’s main goal is to force the Palestinian people from Gaza into Egypt and from the West Bank into Jordan,” the top diplomat said, warning that “Such a scenario will plunge the region into more instability.”
“Israel may not limit itself to military responses after the US election,” Fidan added. “Netanyahu may take steps to destroy Iran’s nuclear capacity. If this happens, the risk will grow that the conflict will expand to other countries.”
Fidan commented on the recent military actions undertaken by Israel, expressing disapproval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s tactics during ceasefire discussions. He remarked, “Netanyahu employs the negotiation process as a tactic to postpone while advancing military objectives.”
He said that some progress had been made in the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas but the terrorist group “finds it important to make sure that a ceasefire paves the way for a process that will irreversibly change the course of Israel’s actions.”
“At our last meeting with Hamas, we discussed the situation on the ground, a possible ceasefire, the need for humanitarian aid, and the intra-Palestinian reconciliation process,” Fidan added.
Regarding Turkey’s immediate neighbor to the south, Fidan told Hurriyet that Syrian President Bashar Assad is unwilling to establish normalized relations with the Syrian opposition and, consequently, with Turkey. Fidan cautioned that if Damascus neglects to address its internal issues, it may lead to increased instability in the region.
“In this environment of deconflict, Turkey wants to see the Syrian regime and the opposition create a political framework on which they can agree. It is very important that the regime provides a safe and stable environment for the people, including the opposition,” Fidan stated.
His comments came in response to recent statements made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, indicating that Moscow was prepared to renew its mediation efforts concerning Turkey and Syria.
However, Fidan emphasized that the Syrian regime must first engage in dialogue with the opposition groups within Syria and reach a consensus with them.
“Nevertheless, it appears that Assad and his allies are not yet willing to seek an agreement with the opposition, which hinders further normalization,” the Turkish FM reiterated.
