Netanyahu policies 'burden' for Israel and region: Turkish FM

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told an Abu Dhabi-based newspaper on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies have become a liability for Israel itself and a broader threat to international stability. "The policies of Netanyahu’s government are not only a problem for us," Fidan said in the interview with The National. "His policies and his government are a burden for Israel, a burden for the region, and a burden and threat for international security." He dismissed concerns that rhetoric between Ankara and Tel Aviv could escalate into open conflict, stressing that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would avoid such a scenario. "There is no reason to have an open conflict," he said, describing Erdogan as "a leader of peace and wisdom" who "wouldn’t be baited into anything."

Ankara's mediation role and Gaza concerns

Fidan emphasized Türkiye's unique capacity to mediate regional disputes, citing its comprehensive understanding of local dynamics accumulated through decades of engagement. "We know everybody, we know the dynamics of every conflict," he said. "So, I think we are best positioned to really understand (what is happening) and how to help stop them." He warned that international attention has shifted away from the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing war in the Gulf, insisting that greater pressure on Israel is necessary to ensure Palestinians receive adequate humanitarian aid. He noted that European leaders are increasingly aware of the dangers posed by Israel yet have failed to develop coherent responses, adding that attempts to destabilize Syria could force a reckoning.

New security framework for regional stability

The foreign minister advocated for a comprehensive security framework guaranteeing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all regional actors, arguing that both Iranian proxy networks and Israeli occupation policies represent destabilizing pre-emptive security measures. "We need to go back to a situation where the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every nation is fully recognized," said Fidan, noting that Iran has long justified its proxy presence as defensive while Israel cites security for its regional occupations. "If we get a new security understanding, which would guarantee safety, security, political sovereignty, and territorial integrity of every party in the region, with a new understanding, I think it should tell Iran, look, we can go back to our corners," he said, expressing his belief that Iran "is mature enough to understand all these realities."

Iran-US ceasefire prospects

Fidan expressed confidence that the ceasefire between Iran and the United States could hold despite President Donald Trump's declaration that the agreement was finished, attributing recent tensions to implementation misunderstandings regarding Strait passage. "I think there was a lack of communication and misunderstanding between both sides in terms of how to implement the passage through the strait," he said following a late Thursday call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, which provided "a deeper understanding of the root of the problem." He maintained that both Washington and Tehran genuinely seek to advance peace negotiations, though he cautioned that the situation remains fragile. "Both sides genuinely want to have the ceasefire and to move ahead with the peace agreement," he said. "Nevertheless, there is always a percentage of accident possible, and because of miscommunications or provocations and retaliations, we have to be very careful."