Turkish foreign minister says Israel has become 'rogue actor'

ANKARA / ISTANBUL

The Turkish foreign minister on Friday said that Israel has become a “rogue actor blinded by dreams of a “Greater Israel,” warning that its actions in Gaza, the West Bank and Syria threaten the stability of the entire region, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

Chairing the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers during the group’s Annual Coordination Meeting held on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly in New York, Hakan Fidan said Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and attempts to annex the occupied West Bank, along with its broader expansionist strategies, pose “serious risks” to regional peace.

"We are facing two urgent risks," Fidan said. "First, the genocide in Gaza and Israel’s efforts to annex the West Bank and forcibly displace Palestinians. Second, Israel’s calculated expansionism and destabilization strategy, which threatens the security and stability of our entire region. Under the Netanyahu regime, Israel has become a 'rogue actor' blinded by dreams of a ‘Greater Israel.’"

Fidan called on OIC member states to adopt a unified position and continue efforts to halt all international transfers of weapons and ammunition to Israel.

He also stressed the importance of strengthening legal avenues by turning proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) into effective tools to end impunity.

Syria’s stability cannot be separated from the region’s

“Syria’s stability cannot be separated from that of the wider region,” Fidan said. “It is equally vital to stop Israel’s crimes in Syria.”

The minister noted that Syrians will require support from OIC members during the country’s reconstruction process.

He also warned of a rise in Islamophobia and racist attacks targeting Muslim communities worldwide, calling for a united response to such incidents.

Fidan reiterated that the Cyprus issue and the situation of the Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace remain two key priorities in Turkish foreign policy, calling on OIC member states to support the rights of Turkish Cypriots and to establish direct contact with them.

He further noted that the Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace and the Turkish Muslim population in the Dodecanese Islands continue to face “serious violations” that deny them their fundamental rights and freedoms.