ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the United States and others must do more to push Israel to stop violating the Gaza ceasefire agreement, including the possible use of sanctions or halting arms sales.
NATO member Turkey, one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, has joined the ceasefire negotiations as a mediator after largely indirect involvement. Its increased role followed a meeting last month between Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
“As Turkey, we are doing our utmost for the ceasefire to be secured. The Hamas side is abiding by the ceasefire. In fact, it is openly stating its commitment to this. Israel, meanwhile, is continuing to violate the ceasefire,” Erdogan told reporters on his return flight from a regional Gulf tour.
“The international community, namely the United States, must do more to ensure Israel’s full compliance to the ceasefire and agreement,” he said, according to a transcript of his comments shared by his office on Friday.
“Israel must be forced to keep its promises via sanctions, halting of arms sales.”
Ankara has said that it would join a “task force” to oversee the implementation of the ceasefire, that its armed forces could serve in a military or civilian capacity as needed, and that it will play an active role in the reconstruction of the enclave.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted on Wednesday at his opposition to any role for Turkish security forces in the Gaza Strip.
Asked about Netanyahu’s comments, Erdogan refrained from his usual criticism of the Israeli leader and appeared to soften his earlier commitment to taking a role on the field in Gaza, saying talks on the issue were still underway.
“Talks are continuing on the task force that will work in Gaza. The modalities of this are not yet clear. As this is a multi-faceted issue, there are comprehensive negotiations. We are ready to provide Gaza any form of support on this issue,” he said.
He also reiterated a previous call for Gulf countries to now take action on financing efforts to rebuild Gaza, saying nobody could single-handedly complete this task.
Relations between former allies Israel and Turkey have hit new lows during the Gaza war, with Ankara accusing Netanyahu’s government of committing genocide, an allegation Israel has repeatedly denied.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Daren Butler and Philippa Fletcher)
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