Turkey’s Fidan calls on Arab League to unite against Israel in Egypt meeting

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan appealed for unity against Israel at the 162nd meeting of the Arab League Council of Ministers gathered in Cairo on Tuesday, while blasting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Gaza conflict. It was the first time in more than a decade that Turkey was invited to join the summit, after being excluded largely over its support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and meddling elsewhere in the Middle East — notably in Syria, where it sought unsuccessfully to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Detente with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and lastly Egypt, which culminated in last week’s visit to Ankara by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, ended Turkey’s isolation and paved the way for Fidan’s presence.

It was widely assumed that Damascus had also greenlighted Turkey’s participation in the Arab League gathering. This, in turn, was interpreted as progress in Turkey’s efforts to woo Assad back, who is far less enthusiastic about mending fences. 

However, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad and his delegation walked out of the meeting room when Fidan took the floor, ostensibly in protest of Turkey’s continued occupation of vast swathes of northern Syria. Assad has repeatedly called for the troops to be withdrawn.

Mekdad’s actions signaled Assad’s continued reluctance to normalize relations despite considerable pressure from his Russian mentors.

An unfazed Fidan delivered his remarks, noting that those “continuing their support of Netanyahu are accomplices in the ongoing genocide,” and adding that they would be held accountable for it, as would the Israeli leader.

The Islamic world, Fidan said, would do “whatever it takes to protect the Islamic identity of Haram al-Sharif." Fidan was referring to the flat, elevated plaza that is venerated by Jews as Temple Mount and where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located. Counted among Islam’s holiest shrines, the mosque is open to Muslims only — but Jewish extremists have been breaching the premises in growing numbers since the start of the Gaza conflict, as Israeli security forces turn a blind eye. Muslims consider their actions a provocative desecration.

The meeting of the top diplomats was chaired by Yemen and also attended by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini and UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag.

Borrell joined in calls for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, saying the EU backed mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the 11-month-old conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people, mostly Palestinian women and children. He noted, however, that “those waging war show no concern for ending it.” He said they were neglecting international law and the rulings of the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

Borrell also accused “radical members of the Israeli government” of trying to make it “impossible to create a future Palestinian state.”

In May, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri (more commonly known as Deif) and Ismail Haniyeh. Israel said it killed Deif in an Israeli airstrike in July, though Hamas denies this. Israel is also thought to be behind the July 31 explosion that killed Haniyeh in Tehran. The ICC issued separate arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, for bearing “criminal responsibility” for “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity,” sparking angry reactions from Israel.

Meanwhile, the ICJ is reviewing a case brought by South Africa against Israel for alleged violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention. In August, Turkey submitted a formal bid to join South Africa’s case against Israel together with six other nations that include Libya and Palestine but no other majority Muslim states.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday urged the Muslim leaders to hold a summit “without further delay” to defend Palestinians and Jerusalem against Israeli attacks.

“The Organization of the Islamic Conference, which is mandated with defending the cause of Jerusalem, cannot remain indifferent to these increasingly audacious attacks,” Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting in Ankara. “It’s urgent for the [OIC] to convene at the leadership level without further delay and to demonstrate the decisive stance of the Islamic world,” Erdogan added.

The 57-member outfit based in Saudi Arabia counts several of Israel’s allies among its ranks, notably Azerbaijan, which buys most of its weapons from the Jewish state and provides around 40% of its oil, as well as Albania.