Ankara, November 18: Turkey says Israel’s hard-line policy is an obstacle blocking efforts to restart the peace process in the region.
“Unfortunately, the onslaught by the Israeli defense forces against Palestinian civilians in Gaza had halted all ongoing peace processes, including the Turkish mediated Syrian-Israeli indirect talks,” Today’s Zaman quoted Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as saying.
The Turkish foreign minister also noted that Ankara is closely monitoring events related to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem Al-Quds.
“Israeli troops should not be allowed to enter this holy site,” he said, adding that any action against Al-Aqsa would stir up the feelings of Turkish citizens and create uproar in the streets of many Muslim countries.
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat recently said that the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are unlikely to resume in the near future since Tel Aviv is looking for an escape clause to avoid meaningful negotiations.
“Israel’s latest violence against Palestinian worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque does not correspond to actions of a genuine partner for peace,” Erakat stated.
Davutoglu warned that the continuing expansion of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories has been a source of tension between Turkey and Israel for many years.
Under the 2002 Roadmap for Peace plan brokered by the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia, Israel has to ‘dismantle settlement outposts erected since 2001 and also freeze all settlement activities.’
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose right-leaning coalition includes pro-settler parties, has resisted calls for a total freeze on settlements in the occupied West Bank.
It is estimated that over 285,000 Israeli settlers currently live in buildings erected on occupied land that the Palestinians claim for a future state.
—–Agencies