Türkiye will not approve attempts to cooperate with Israel within NATO: Erdogan

WASHINGTON (AA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that attempts to cooperate with Israel within NATO are “not acceptable.”

“It is not possible for the Israeli administration, which has trampled on the fundamental values ​​of our alliance, to continue its partnership relationship with NATO,” Erdogan told a press conference in Washington, DC, after the NATO leaders’ summit.

The defense alliance has 32 members, but it also maintains relations with many non-member countries and international organizations called NATO partners.

Erdogan said that during his talks on the sidelines of the summit he drew attention to the ongoing Israeli “atrocities” in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration, “with its expansionist and reckless policies,” endangers the security of not only its own citizens, but also the entire region, he said.

“Until a comprehensive, sustainable peace is established in Palestine, attempts at cooperation with Israel within NATO will not be approved by Türkiye,” Erdogan stressed.

“It is important that responsible members of the international community join hands for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine based on the 1967 borders,” he said.

“Likewise, despite all the pressure and intimidation attempts, we are very pleased that the number of countries recognizing Palestine is increasing,” Erdogan said, demanding other countries also file a complaint against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Türkiye is ready to take any initiative, including guarantorship, first for the declaration of a cease-fire and then for the establishment of permanent peace in Gaza, he said.

“I hereby call on all our allies to increase their pressure on the Netanyahu administration to ensure a cease-fire and the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, who have been starving for nine months,” Erdogan added.

Israel has killed more than 38,300 Palestinians in Gaza since early October last year and turned much of the enclave of 2.3 million people into ruins, leaving most civilians homeless and at risk of famine.

Israel is accused of committing genocide in the besieged Palestinian enclave, and a case is continuing at the ICJ in The Hague.

– ‘Crooked relationship’ of NATO allies with terror outfits –

Turning to the fight against terrorism, Erdogan said there is a need to strengthen cooperation between NATO allies in the fight against terrorism.

“It is not possible for us to accept the crooked relationship that some of our allies have established especially with the PYD/YPG, the extension of the terrorist organization PKK in Syria,” he added.

Ankara expects solidarity from the allies in the fight against terrorism, one of the two major threats identified by NATO, Erdogan said, adding: “The law of alliance also requires this.”

Erdogan called on the allies to abandon these “erroneous policies” that harm the unity and integrity of NATO.

Türkiye has long complained of the US working with the PKK and its offshoots on the pretext of fighting the Daesh/ISIS terror group. Turkish officials say using one terrorist group to fight another makes no sense.

Erdogan also said he has instructed Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to restore relations with Syria.

He reminded reporters that he extended an invitation to Assad to either come to Türkiye or have a meeting in a third country.