Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday accused Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of taking advantage of regional tensions “to stay in power,” Agence France-Presse reported.
“It is clear that Netanyahu is trying to drag the region into war to stay in power,” Fidan told a news conference in Doha, more than six months into the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Speaking alongside Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Fidan said there was a “persistent” threat that the Gaza war would spread in the region.
“We will redouble our efforts to end this war,” Fidan said.
He also said that he spoke for “three hours” in Doha on Wednesday with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and other political leaders of the Palestinian militant group, including about ceasefire talks.
Haniyeh is due to visit Turkey this weekend as a guest of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has been a virulent critic of Israeli leaders since the Gaza war began.