ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/EGYPT-TURKEY (TV) – REUTERS Agency
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey joined Egypt in rejecting the exile of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in the face of Israel’s war against the militant group Hamas, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday. together with his counterpart in Cairo.
Fidan, on his first trip as minister to Egypt, said it is important to act to stop the spread of the conflict and restart peace talks focused on achieving a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.
“We reject the policy of expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in Gaza and their exile in Egypt. We are totally against and support Egypt,” Fidan said.
“The loss of civilian life must stop, regardless of which side they belong to,” he added. “We see some states trying to justify Israel’s attacks on Gaza as some kind of justifiable act. We invite Israel to abide by international law and humanitarian values.”
Since Hamas fighters launched a bloody assault on Israeli cities a week ago, Israel has bombed Gaza with airstrikes and given the entire northern population until Saturday morning to move south.
Turkey has long maintained contacts with Hamas, but has also worked to repair ties with Israel after years of acrimony.
Since the war broke out, Ankara has launched diplomacy to mediate the conflict, sent aid to the Palestinians and called Israel’s call for Gazans to move south as inhumane and a violation of international law.
(Reporting by Azra Ceylan; writing by Jonathan Spicer; editing in Spanish by Carlos Serrano)
Source: Ambito
