Davutoglu renews call for end to Gaza's blockade

Paying a visit to Palestinian Ambassador in Ankara Nabil Maarouf yesterday to mark the first anniversary of Israel's offensive in Gaza, in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday reiterated Ankara's call for an immediate end to Israel's blockade of Gaza. Speaking to reporters, Davutoglu said the "humanitarian tragedy" in Gaza is still continuing, citing a Gaza aid conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt held in March which Turkish leaders often refer to when charging the international community has failed to honor the promises it gave there. "Gaza should be rehabilitated from being an open-prison and a kind of ghetto," Davutoglu said, stressing that everyone has responsibility for Gaza and pledging Turkey's continued efforts to provide humanitarian support to the region. The tragedy in Gaza is also blocking reconciliation among rival Palestinian groups as well as a revival of the Middle East peace process, he said. "If a body has a festering, bleeding wound, this means this body won't be able to think clearly," he explained. "That's why we consider a resolution of the Gaza issue as soon as possible critical for both Israeli-Palestinian talks and the Middle East peace process," he added, implicitly referring to the stalled peace talks between Israel and Syria which were mediated by Turkey until the Gaza offensive.