ANKARA, Nov 4 (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Gaza must be part of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state once the Israel-Hamas war is over, and Ankara will not support any plans “gradually erasing Palestinians” from history.
Erdogan made the remarks a day before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to arrive in Ankara for talks on Gaza.
Turkey, which has sharply escalated its criticism of Israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has intensified, supports a two-state solution and hosts members of Hamas, which it does not view as a terrorist organisation, unlike the United States, Britain and others in the West.
Turkey has called for an immediate ceasefire and offered to set up a system to guarantee it.
“Once all of this that is happening is finished, we want to see Gaza as a peaceful region that is a part of an independent Palestinian state, in line with 1967 borders, with territorial integrity, and with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Erdogan was on Saturday cited as saying by broadcaster Haberturk and others.
