Erdogan claims no contact with 'Israel', ready to be mediator for Gaza
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Turkey is no longer considering Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as its "interlocutor" but the head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization, Ibrahim Kalin, remains in contact with "Israel".
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaks to attendees during a rally to show their solidarity with Palestinians, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. (AP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed to reporters on Saturday that Turkey is no longer considering Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as its "interlocutor," but the head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization, Ibrahim Kalin, remains in contact with "Israel".
"I do not have any contacts [with Israel] at the moment. Our head of the National Intelligence Organization, Ibrahim Kalin, maintains contacts with the Israeli side. Certainly, he also meets with [the representatives of] Palestine and Hamas. I will say that Netanyahu is no longer our interlocutor in any sense. We rubbed him out," he stated.
However, Erdogan claimed that it was impossible to sever international diplomatic ties: "Therefore, together with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the head of the National Intelligence Organization, Ibrahim Kalin, and my fellow ministers, we use all diplomatic means, and we will continue to do so. Our main aim is to establish the final peace on the Israeli-Palestinian issue".
Just two days ago, Fidan engaged in discussions with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, a day after Iran's top diplomat had talks with Hamas leaders in Qatar, as they jointly presented a proposal for a regional conference aimed at preventing further escalation in the war in Gaza.
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Ready to intervene
Fidan underscored Turkey's stance, advocating for an immediate ceasefire. He emphasized that, without a lasting resolution to the conflict, it is not difficult to predict that the cycle of violence will persist and intensify.
Last week, a Turkish diplomatic source affirmed that Turkey has no intention of reaching a point of no return in its relations with "Israel" despite growing concerns over the escalation of atrocities in the Gaza Strip.
In addition, Erdogan relayed that Turkey is prepared to assume the role of a guarantor state in the matter of the Gaza Strip.
"We have been talking and we have been talking about guarantors since the beginning of these events. We said that if Turkey has the responsibility of a guarantor, we are ready to assume that responsibility, we can be a guarantor country," he told reporters.
Almost a month has passed since the beginning of "terrorist attacks," Erdogan said, adding, "At this point, we can see that developments will move the situation a little more to Israel's detriment".
