Erdogan Presses UK’s Starmer to Push Israel Toward Ceasefire and Two-State Solution

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday urged British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take concrete steps to compel Israel to accept a ceasefire in Gaza and move toward a two-state solution. According to a statement from the Turkish presidency, Erdogan pressed Starmer during a phone call to use Britain’s influence to help end the ongoing conflict and advance Palestinian statehood.

Erdogan’s office said the two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as key regional and global issues, with a particular focus on the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“We find the recent humanitarian reactions coming from Europe, particularly from France and Britain, very valuable,” Erdogan said in a public statement last week. “We welcome every step taken toward recognition of the State of Palestine.”

The Turkish president has also reportedly called French President Emmanuel Macron to congratulate him on France’s pro-Palestinian stance, once again emphasizing that backing the two-state solution is the most effective response to what he characterizes as Israel’s oppressive policies.

The conversation with Starmer comes amid Erdogan’s continued denunciations of Israel’s military operations. Earlier this year in March, at a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner with Turkish military personnel, Erdogan declared, “The Zionist regime has once again shown that it is a terror state that feeds on the blood, lives and tears of the innocent with its brutal attacks on Gaza last night.”

He went on to brand Israel “a terror state that feeds on blood,” drawing outrage from Israeli officials and further straining ties between the two nations.

Hostilities between Ankara and Jerusalem have escalated sharply since the war in Gaza began last October, following Hamas’s deadly attack on southern Israel. Erdogan has refused to label Hamas a terrorist group, instead describing it as a legitimate resistance movement. In response, Israel withdrew its diplomatic mission from Turkey and suspended defense coordination, effectively freezing a fragile normalization process that had only recently begun after years of estrangement.

Despite efforts in recent years to rebuild diplomatic ties–including ambassadorial exchanges and talks on energy cooperation–the Gaza war has reignited deep-rooted animosities. Erdogan’s government has positioned itself as a leading voice in the Muslim world calling for international recognition of a Palestinian state and accountability for Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

As European nations increasingly voice support for Palestinian statehood, Erdogan is urging those governments to move from rhetoric to action. His latest outreach to the UK, a key diplomatic player in the region, signals a push for broader international consensus to isolate Israel diplomatically and pressure it into halting its military campaign.

Whether Erdogan’s calls will translate into concrete action by the UK or others remains uncertain, but the message from Ankara is clear: silence is no longer an option in the face of what Turkey sees as an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe.

Prophetic Significance

While many call for peace through a two-state solution, prophecy teachers often highlight a sobering warning from the book of Joel: the nations are brought to judgment because they “divided” the land (Joel 3:2) — a land God explicitly gave to the descendants of Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 26:1-6; Genesis 28:13-14; Genesis 25:10-12; Psalms 105:8-11 ) For those attuned to biblical prophecy, how this pursuit of peace unfolds carries deep and potentially dramatic prophetic significance. This is further underscored by Jesus’ command to “learn the parable of the fig tree,” widely understood as a symbol of Israel. Just as the fig tree produces early fruit in the spring and ripens fully by the fall harvest, prophecy watchers see a pattern: Israel’s modern rebirth and eventual spiritual harvest align with God’s redemptive timeline. The budding of the fig tree signals that the season is near, calling us to be alert to the times.

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