Turkey’s Fidan urges US to pressure Israel for Gaza ceasefire
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke to his US counterpart on Monday and underlined the need for Blinken to keep up the pressure on Israel to secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, according to a spokesman.
The phone call came at Blinken’s request.
Fidan said that Israel must avoid “provocative actions” that could escalate tensions and said that Hamas had shown a “constructive attitude” in past truce talks.
He added that the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and the “ongoing massacre against Palestinians once again demonstrated Israel’s lack of willingness to establish peace”, the spokesman said.
Blinken’s office said the Secretary of State spoke to Fidan “about the importance of Hamas’ return to negotiations on August 15 to finalize the framework for achieving an immediate and durable ceasefire in Gaza and securing the release of all hostages”.
US asking Turkey to help ease regional tensions: Envoy
Washington wants Turkey and other allies that have ties with Iran to persuade it to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, according to the US ambassador to Ankara.
“They are doing what they can to make sure that it doesn’t escalate,” Ambassador Jeff Flake said of Washington’s Turkish interlocutors, adding that they “seem more confident than we are that it won’t escalate”.
Flake made the comments as the region braces for possible attacks by Iran and its allies on Israel after the killing of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Flake said the Gaza situation had been “very difficult”, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rhetoric against Israel making it difficult for Turkey to play a role as an interlocutor.
Iran dismisses European call for restraint over Israel
Iran’s Foreign Ministry says the de-escalation call from France, Germany and the United Kingdom “lack political logic and contradict principles of international law”.
In a joint statement, the three European powers urged Tehran and its allies to refrain from attacks against Israel that would further escalate tensions and jeopardise the chances of a ceasefire in Gaza.
Iran and its allies are expected to respond to Israel militarily after the killing of senior members of Hezbollah and Hamas in Lebanon and Iran consecutively.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani says Tehran is determined to deter Israel in response to France, Germany and the UK’s call for de-escalation in the region.
“Without any objection to the crimes of the Zionist regime [Israel], the E3 [France, Germany, UK] statement impudently requires Iran not to respond to a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Kanaani said, referring to the three European powers.
Kanaani called on Paris, Berlin and London to “once and for all stand up against the war in Gaza and the warmongering of Israel”.
Iran and its allies are expected to respond to Israel militarily after the killing of senior members of Hezbollah and Hamas in Lebanon and Iran consecutively.
