President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday slammed the Israeli government for seeking to erase Palestine from the international community’s agenda by fueling instability and new conflicts in the region, vowing that Türkiye would continue to defend the Palestinian cause on every platform.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ankara, Erdoğan said Israel’s policies of occupation, forced displacement and seizure of Palestinian land were continuing to intensify in the occupied territories.

“The Netanyahu government’s aim is to remove Palestine from humanity’s common agenda by benefiting from chaos and new conflicts in the region,” Erdoğan said. “Whatever they do, they will not succeed.”

“The more they try to erase it, the more the Palestinian cause will continue to grow in people’s hearts,” he added. “As Türkiye, we will continue to defend the Palestinian cause in the strongest possible manner on every platform.”

Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye’s commitment to the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and full geographical integrity.

“We will continue to fight resolutely for the establishment of an independent, sovereign and geographically contiguous Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he said.

Erdoğan said the situation in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem continued to deteriorate, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “genocidal” government of pursuing unlawful policies “before the eyes of the entire world.”

Citing U.N. figures, Erdoğan said around 3,800 Palestinians had been displaced in 2026 alone due to settler violence, demolitions and evacuations, while nearly 100 Palestinians had been killed.

“The existence of a sovereign Palestinian state is being undermined,” Erdoğan said. “It is impossible to remain indifferent to this.”

Despite attempts at intimidation and displacement, Erdoğan said the Palestinian people remained steadfast, stressing that supporting Palestine was a shared responsibility of humanity, particularly the Muslim world.

Erdoğan said he and Abbas discussed bilateral relations as well as the situation across the occupied Palestinian territories in detail.

The two leaders also reiterated their solidarity against attacks, violations and provocations at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Hebron and elsewhere in the Palestinian territories.

“We strongly oppose provocations aimed at changing the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque, our first qibla, and other holy sites,” Erdoğan said.

Turning to Gaza, Erdoğan accused the Israeli government of maintaining an uncompromising and aggressive stance despite international efforts and agreements, contrasting it with what he described as the constructive approach of Palestinians.

“We are facing an Israeli administration that has made deadlock its policy despite all agreements and international efforts,” he said.

Erdoğan said developments had demonstrated which side favored continued conflict and which sought peace, adding that the people of Gaza had clearly shown their desire and determination for peace.

He called for conditions necessary to guarantee security and launch Gaza’s reconstruction to be established without delay.

“The necessary conditions for initiating the reconstruction and rebuilding process in Gaza and ensuring security must be provided as soon as possible,” Erdoğan said.

Erdoğan also welcomed plans for Palestinian legislative and presidential elections, expressing hope that the process would advance reconciliation and strengthen unity among Palestinians.

Abbas, meanwhile, praised Türkiye’s support for Palestinian rights and said the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement could provide a foundation for greater regional stability and security.

“This agreement is very important. I hope it will be a starting point for ensuring stability and security in the region,” Abbas said.

“I thank President Erdoğan and brotherly Türkiye for their support for our rights and the cause of the Palestinian people,” he added.

Invited by President Erdoğan, Palestinian Authority President Abbas arrived in Ankara on Tuesday.

Thanks to Türkiye’s diplomatic initiatives, the number of leaders and influential figures speaking out against Israel has increased. Ankara continues its efforts to intensify international pressure on Israel while consistently raising the Palestinian cause and Israel’s aggression on every platform.

On Gaza, Türkiye has consistently supported an immediate cease-fire, expanded humanitarian access, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, while remaining among the strongest international critics of Israel’s attacks. Working in close strategic alignment with Doha, Ankara has coordinated joint mediation efforts alongside Qatar and regional partners to enforce a lasting cease-fire, secure uninterrupted humanitarian relief and advance diplomatic channels for a comprehensive regional peace settlement.

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Türkiye will continue working to bridge Libya’s political and regional divides, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Wednesday after concluding wide-ranging talks in Tripoli and Benghazi aimed at strengthening cooperation and supporting stability across the North African country.

Fidan said his visit reflected Ankara’s “One Libya” policy, which treats the country’s western, eastern and southern regions without distinction.

“Our visit has been a concrete manifestation of our ‘One Libya’ policy, which makes no distinction between Libya’s west, east and south,” Fidan said, thanking Libyan authorities for their hospitality.

In Tripoli, Fidan met Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), discussing bilateral relations, Libya’s political process, regional developments and security issues.

He also held talks with Presidential Council President Mohammed al-Menfi and High Council of State President Mohammed Takala.

Fidan met several senior security and defense officials in Tripoli, including National Security Adviser Ibrahim Dbeibah, acting Defense Minister Abdulsalam al-Zoubi, Interior Minister Emad al-Trabelsi, Chief of General Staff Salah al-Din al-Namroush and military intelligence chief Mahmoud Hamza.

The talks focused on bilateral cooperation as well as current political and security developments.

Fidan then traveled to Benghazi, where he met Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar, deputy commander Saddam Haftar, House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh and Libya Development and Reconstruction Fund Director-General Belqasem Haftar.

The meetings included discussions on Libya’s political and security agenda and opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation.

Fidan described Türkiye’s security and defense cooperation with Libya as a strategic component of bilateral ties that contributes directly to Libya’s stability and broader regional security.

As part of his visit, he also met Turkish troops serving with the Turkish Armed Forces’ Libya Task Group Command in Tripoli.

“Türkiye does not consider Libya’s peace and stability separately from its own stability,” Fidan said, stressing that Libyans should be able to determine and build their future in freedom, security and prosperity.

Fidan said Ankara would continue supporting stronger dialogue and cooperation between Libya’s east and west under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s foreign policy vision.

Türkiye, he added, would maintain its efforts to contribute to Libya’s peace, stability and prosperity.

Meanwhile, the top Turkish diplomat also visited the Mausoleum of Omar al-Mukhtar, revered as Libya’s national hero for leading the resistance against Italian colonial rule, during his contacts in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Fidan paid tribute to al-Mukhtar at the mausoleum as part of his visit to Libya.

“We visited the mausoleum of Omar al-Mukhtar, a leading figure in Libya’s struggle for independence who resisted colonialism with dignity and determination,” Fidan said.

Describing al-Mukhtar as “a revered hero across the Islamic world,” Fidan honored the memory of the resistance leader, who devoted his life to his faith and ideals and whose legacy continues to inspire generations.

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Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş on Thursday called for the release of jailed Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi and urged authorities to provide him with adequate medical care and humane conditions amid concerns over his health.

Kurtulmuş said he was closely following developments surrounding Ghannouchi, the leader of Tunisia’s Ennahda movement and former speaker of the Tunisian Parliament, who recently ended a hunger and medication strike at the request of the team monitoring his health.

“Considering his advanced age and existing health problems, the seriousness of Ghannouchi’s condition must not be overlooked,” Kurtulmuş said in a social media post.

He called Ghannouchi a prominent figure in the struggle for “peace, democracy and solidarity” and praised his political role in Tunisia.

Kurtulmuş said Ghannouchi had remained committed to his political and democratic principles despite pressure, exile and imprisonment and had gained recognition in Tunisia and internationally for his role during the country’s political transition.

Citing long-standing ties between Türkiye and Tunisia, Kurtulmuş wished Ghannouchi a speedy recovery.

“It is our greatest hope that he is provided with all necessary medical support, given fair and humane conditions befitting human dignity and released,” he noted.

Ghannouchi was detained on April 2023, and subsequently jailed on charges of “incitement against state security.” He has since received prison sentences in several separate cases.

Ghannouchi’s defense team said in a written statement that officials at Mornaguia Prison had informed his lawyers that he had ended the hunger and medication strike he began on Aug. 6.

The team also demanded an end to Ghannouchi’s isolation and called for him to be allowed to meet with his lawyers and family.

In an earlier statement, Ghannouchi’s defense team said the 85-year-old politician had been transferred to a hospital on July 29 and had been held in “complete isolation” since then.

He recently ended the strike at the request of the medical team at the hospital.

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Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said Thursday that the government will continue reforms aimed at strengthening the judiciary, improving the efficiency of trials and ensuring citizens can access their rights more quickly.

Speaking during a visit to the Trabzon Governor’s Office in Türkiye’s Black Sea region, Gürlek said authorities are also continuing to strengthen the physical infrastructure of justice services in the Black Sea province.

“We have completed the project work for the Vakfıkebir Courthouse and held the construction tender,” Gürlek said. “We have also prepared the Of Justice Palace project to provide stronger and more effective judicial services.”

He said officials would inspect the facilities needed to activate new civil and criminal chambers at the Trabzon Regional Court of Appeal, adding that new chambers could be established if necessary.

Gürlek also reiterated the government’s commitment to drafting what he described as a civilian, democratic and inclusive constitution.

“We will not give up on the goal of a civilian, democratic and inclusive constitution that our nation has deserved for years,” he said.

“We want to build “the Century of Türkiye” not on a constitutional foundation inherited from the tutelage mentality of the past, but on a strong legal order that places the will of the people at its center and guarantees human dignity and fundamental rights.”

Gürlek said the government’s goals were ambitious but argued that the strength of the Turkish people was greater.

He said Türkiye had moved from fighting for independence under difficult conditions a century ago to developing its own defense industry and technology and playing a greater role internationally.

“We now have a new period ahead of us: a Türkiye completely free from the shadow of terrorism, where criminal organizations have been deprived of their room to operate, legal certainty has been strengthened, and the country moves toward much greater goals with its economy, production and human resources,” he said.

Gürlek also vowed to pursue the financial resources that sustain criminal organizations, saying the government would continue operations against organized crime.

“We are not only pursuing crime and criminals, but also the illicit money that keeps the criminal order alive,” he said. “You cannot cut off the breath of a criminal organization without cutting off the veins of crime and drying up this source.”

He said authorities would show no tolerance toward any structure that threatens public peace and would act within the law.

“There is no structure more powerful than the state,” Gürlek said. “There is nowhere they can escape Turkish justice. Whoever commits a crime, wherever they go, will not get away with what they have done.”

Gürlek also pledged to revisit unresolved cases, including unsolved killings and suspicious deaths.

“Time may pass before justice, but truth does not fade,” he said, adding that a case could remain on a shelf for years but that every unsolved death remains an unresolved matter for the state.

“We will continue to reopen unsolved cases, suspicious deaths and cases that have left a mark on the public conscience,” Gürlek said. “We will dispel doubts, follow the trail of evidence and identify the perpetrators. We will bring those responsible before justice.”

He vowed to pursue cases regardless of where the evidence leads or whom it implicates.

“We are determined and resolute. No matter where it leads or whose path we cross, we will not deviate from our course,” he said.

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In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan explained the background of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. Erdoğan said in remarks published on Wednesday that Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan launched a new era of cooperation in the region and they would welcome other countries to join the pact.

Erdoğan flew to Saudi Arabia last Friday in a last-minute trip, which was later revealed to be the occasion for the agreement overseen by the Turkish President, Saudi crown prince and Pakistan’s prime minister.

The vision in the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement “is not limited” to only Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, Erdoğan said in the interview.

“Indeed, our vision is not limited to three countries. We want it to expand further and, if possible, one day bring all countries in the region under this framework. This would be one of the most important steps toward achieving lasting regional stability,” Erdoğan said.

While U.S.-Iran tensions are important to regional developments, the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement should not be viewed merely as a response to them, Erdoğan said, adding: “Such an interpretation would fail to properly understand the policies and intentions of our countries.” Noting that the agreement does not pose a threat to any country, the president said the deal is open to participation by “all brotherly countries that seek peace, prosperity, and stability in our region.”

There is a history behind the deal, Erdoğan said, pointing to discussions with the other signatories and other regional countries that have been ongoing “for a very long period.” Noting his remarks on remaining in regular consultation with regional countries in order to strengthen peace, stability and security in the region, the president said Ankara has acted “accordingly” in this regard.

“We know the kinds of disasters that externally imposed prescriptions have caused in attempts to resolve the region’s problems. For this reason, Türkiye has always pursued a policy aimed at making the will and collective wisdom of regional countries decisive,” he said. The deal is a representation of “a strategic determination” in response to changing regional circumstances, he said, adding that the trilateral mechanism is not a reaction to “day-to-day developments.”

“Türkiye has always favored diplomacy over tension, dialogue over conflict, and stronger regional cooperation over division. As a country capable of speaking with all parties and assuming responsibility on difficult issues when necessary, we will continue to do our part to establish lasting peace and stability in our region,” he further added.

‘New circumstances’

The agreement is “the result of the new circumstances” and a shared sense of responsibility, Erdoğan stated. “We have always favored regional countries taking ownership of regional issues and resolving them themselves,” he added. “The problems of the region should be resolved by the region’s own actors, and we can say that we have now taken the first step in that direction,” he stressed.

Recent developments have highlighted the necessity of solidarity among friendly and brotherly nations, whereas long-term peace necessitates not only an end to conflict but also mutual trust, political will and a shared vision for the future, he noted.

The agreement represents more than cooperation among Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, Erdoğan said, adding that it is intended as a broader framework for regional stability and remains open to other countries seeking peace and security. Ankara views the deal as the beginning of a new era of regional cooperation and solidarity, with the possibility of expanding participation in the future, he said.

He underlined that the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is built on the principle of collective deterrence and aims to deepen security and defense cooperation among its members while contributing to regional stability. The agreement will pave the way for joint defense industry projects and strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism, he explained, stressing that it does not target any country. Under the deal, a threat to one member’s security will be treated as a common security concern by the other parties, he said. He added that the agreement should not be viewed solely as a military arrangement, saying its broader purpose is to reinforce deterrence, strengthen mutual security through solidarity and preserve peace and stability in the region.

Erdoğan also said the signatories are sending a message that they will not pose a threat to one another but will instead work to guarantee each other’s security. “The security of one of us is the security of all of us,” he said, adding that an inclusive application of this approach can help establish lasting peace, stability and prosperity across the region.

He said regional countries must take greater responsibility for their own security, stability and future, arguing that the region’s challenges are best addressed by its own countries and peoples. Stronger regional ownership, solidarity and coordination will not only bolster stability in the Middle East but also contribute to global stability, the president said. He stressed the importance of establishing stronger and more permanent mechanisms among regional countries, including institutionalized cooperation aimed at safeguarding both security and economic stability. “The future of the region cannot be shaped independently of the will of the countries of the region,” Erdoğan said. Türkiye’s diplomacy in the broader region has long been based on “regional ownership” as Ankara argues that hegemony of the past in the Middle East imposed by the West should cease and foreign interventions should be replaced with acknowledgement that each country has a right to resolve its own issues.

He added that Türkiye does not seek exclusionary blocs, but rather a regional cooperation framework based on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual trust and shared interests. Türkiye, he said, will continue to assume responsibility when necessary and pursue diplomatic initiatives to strengthen regional peace, security and stability.

The president said he believed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement will help enhance security in the Gulf region, adding that it aims to promote the region’s prosperity, peace and security.

He underscored the importance of security in the Gulf region for the global economy and international trade. The security of the Gulf region is of great importance not only to the countries of the region but also to the global economy and international trade. “Many issues, from energy supply security and the safety of maritime routes to the continuity of trade and global economic stability, are directly connected to peace and stability in this region,” he further said. “This is not merely a theoretical statement; developments over the past few months have demonstrated it clearly,” he added. Erdoğan said every step to strengthen security and stability in the Gulf would benefit not only the region but also global peace and prosperity. He said the agreement could deepen regional security cooperation and solidarity, stressing that security and economic development are closely linked.

Pointing to Europe’s postwar experience, Erdoğan said political stability can pave the way for economic integration and prosperity, adding that trade and investment cannot be sustained without peace. He also described security in the Gulf as strategically important for economic links connecting Asia, Europe and Africa, saying Türkiye views peace and stability in the region as closely tied to its own security and to broader regional peace. He expressed Türkiye’s determination to assume “every responsibility that falls upon us and continue our constructive diplomatic efforts.”

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Iran called on six major Muslim nations Wednesday to take a leading role in strengthening unity across the Islamic world, placing Türkiye among the countries Tehran says bear particular responsibility for advancing cooperation.

During a meeting in Tehran with Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Rezaei described Pakistan’s government, armed forces and people as among the Islamic world’s greatest assets. He also welcomed what he described as the growing role of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in regional developments, according to Mehr News Agency.

Rezaei said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attaches special importance to relations with Pakistan and believes bilateral trade between the two countries should increase severalfold.

He described Iran-Pakistan ties as rooted in genuine affection and shared beliefs, saying leaders of both countries have long regarded the other as strategic depth.

According to the official IRNA news agency, Naqvi thanked Pezeshkian, as well as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, for their efforts to strengthen bilateral relations.

Naqvi also praised what he described as exceptional solidarity between Iranian and Pakistani people, saying the close bond between the two nations should translate into deeper cooperation and more tangible results.

He said the two countries need greater engagement and sustained efforts to achieve shared objectives, expressing confidence that the determination of their leaders and officials would help realize those goals.

Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for an official visit. He has held talks with Momeni and Araghchi on bilateral ties and regional developments.

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