Türkiye will present a genocide case against Israel at the ICJ in the Hague, declared Hakan Fidan, Türkiye’s Foreign Minister, on Monday. Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s foreign minister, when Fidan spoke with him during a joint press briefing in Cairo, Fidan said that Türkiye would deposit its file with the ICJ on Wednesday.
On the first day of the two days’ stay in Egypt, Fidan attacked the international support for Israel, which he stated was destabilizing the world system. Saying it is safe to draw a parallel between the global reaction to Russia’s actions in Ukraine or, for that matter, any action anywhere in the world and no similar reaction to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
“Those who are scolding Russia for the invasion of Ukraine do not pay attention that Tel Aviv, for instance, is still occupying the Palestinian territories,” Fidan said. He said Israel behaved as a ‘spoiler’ in the peace process while they launched a deadly attack on Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political leader involved in cease-fire negotiations.
Statements of Fidan also concerned Netanyahu, who, according to the Head of Turkish Intelligence, aims to start a war in the region. He also condemned Netanyahu’s welcome in the US Congress, pointing out that war criminals have no right to sit on the parliamentary podium. Still, they should sit in the defendant’s chair.
The named leader, Fidan, called upon supporters of Israel in the international arena to change their attitude and, turning their attention to the violence going on in Gaza, said that its escalation could lead to consequences for the entire world. He accused the US of indulging Israel and urged it to stop what he described as the “acts of provocation” by Israel recently witnessed in Lebanon and Iran.
“The West is now equal in this region because of the Israel issue,” said Fidan, claiming that Western nations are hypocrites concerning democracy and people’s rights when it comes to Muslims.
Fidan further elaborated on Türkiye’s humanitarian involvement in Gaza, pointing out that Türkiye supplied more humanitarian aid to Gazans than any other country, 56400 tons. He laid down that a Palestinian state should be recognized and the Palestinian people given their deserved right to an independent and sovereign country with its capital in East Jerusalem as the way to reduce violence in the Middle East.
In Cairo, Fidan also addressed the intention to expand cooperation with the Egyptian side. He discussed this with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi and proposed the schedule for the first High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council session between the two countries. The discussions were on increasing the Türkiye-Egypt FTA, resuming the Mersin-Alexandria Ro-Ro business, and bringing bilateral trade up to $15 bln in five years.
Fidan also described Türkiye’s stance on Egypt as a promising partner in the energy sector, mentioning cooperation in the LNG and nuclear sectors. He also mentioned opening more schools and cultural centers where Egyptian students could easily get scholarships.
The meeting with the Turkish Foreign Minister mainly touched upon the settlement of the Gaza ceasefire, Egypt and Qatar’s mediation, and regional trends—the conflict in Sudan and the stabilization of state institutions in Libya. He reaffirmed Turkey’s readiness to serve as a diplomatic ally to stop the bloodshed and underlined the need for regular contact with the Egyptian partners.
Fidan also briefly discussed the six-party prisoners’ swap deal that occurred last week in Ankara; the deal was conducted and facilitated by Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization. He added that this is the largest exchange, which demonstrates the level of confidence global counterparts, starting with the United States and ending with Russia, have in Türkiye.
