ANTALYA: Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas is set to visit Turkey next week for talks over the war in Gaza and intra-Palestinian reconciliation efforts, announced Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday.
Abbas’s visit comes amid heightened diplomatic efforts aimed at halting the nearly five-month-old war between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which erupted on October 7. Mediation efforts involving Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have been underway for weeks, with the objective of achieving a truce before the commencement of the holy month of Ramadan.
Addressing an annual diplomacy forum in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya, Foreign Minister Fidan emphasized the earnest commitment to reaching a ceasefire prior to Ramadan, underscoring the urgency of the situation.
Palestinian President’s Upcoming Visit to Turkey
Confirming Abbas’s upcoming visit, Fidan disclosed that the Palestinian president would meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday. The discussions are slated to cover a wide array of topics, including the prevailing situation in Palestine, the ongoing course of the conflict in Gaza, and efforts toward intra-Palestinian dialogue.
President Erdogan has emerged as a staunch advocate for the Palestinian cause, vociferously condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza. He has denounced Israel as a “terrorist state” and likened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler, while expressing solidarity with the Palestinian resistance.
The visit holds significance not only in terms of bolstering solidarity with Palestine but also in the context of Turkey’s longstanding support for Palestinian aspirations. Since the Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, which saw Hamas emerge victorious, Turkey has been actively engaged in efforts to foster reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions.
