Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has revealed that US President Donald Trump asked Ankara to “convince” Hamas to accept his Gaza ceasefire plan for the region.
He made the remarks during his return flight from Azerbaijan after attending the 12th Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States, where he also addressed the situation in the Middle East and defended the two-state solution as the only way to a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis: comments that also come just days after the Sumud Flotilla activists detained by Israel have denounced abuses and torture during their detention.
“During our visit to the US and also in our last phone call, we explained to Mr Trump how a solution in Palestine could be achieved. He expressly asked us to meet with Hamas and persuade them,” Erdoğan told reporters on board the presidential plane bringing him back from Azerbaijan, in remarks reported by several agencies.
The president added that the Palestinian group responded positively: “Hamas told us that it is ready for peace and negotiations. In other words, it did not take a contrary position, and I consider this to be a very valuable step”. Erdoğan further specified that Turkish officials are already in Sharm el-Sheikh for negotiations with the Palestinian Islamist group, and that Turkey maintains contacts with the organisation. “We have always been in communication with Hamas throughout this process, and we are still in contact today,” he said.
“Hamas is ahead of Israel“
“Hamas is ahead of Israel. Why do I say that? Because it has suffered huge losses: there are more than 100,000 wounded, and all the places where they were staying have been destroyed. They don’t even have a roof over their heads. But we have not seen, nor will we see, Israel showing a constructive or similar attitude,” the Turkish president said, adding that Turkey will continue to work to “end the Israeli-Palestinian problem on the basis of the two-state solution“, also expressing his hope to achieve this “with God’s help and international support”.
Erdoğan stressed that “all Palestinians know that Turkey protects and safeguards the interests of Palestine. We defend the rights of the oppressed in Gaza and the rights of our brothers and sisters in other parts of Palestine, as if we were defending ourselves. We have been working for years to stop the bloodshed and ensure the safety of the innocent.”
Erdoğan’s remarks coincide with indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, mediated by Qatar, Turkey and the United States, in search of a deal to end two years of war in Gaza.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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