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ANKARA — Speaking ahead of a key meeting between rival Palestinian factions in Cairo, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed the importance of Palestinian unity after his meeting with Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in Ankara on Tuesday.
Erdogan said Palestinian unity is key to achieving progress in efforts to revive reconciliation talks between rival Palestinian factions.
“Reconciliation among our Palestinian brothers is one of the key elements in this process. I told my dear friend that we are ready to give all sorts of support in this regard,” Erdogan told reporters during the joint news conference.
Abbas’ state visit to Turkey comes merely days before a rare meeting between major Palestinian groups including Abbas-led Fatah and Hamas, set to be held in Cairo on Sunday.
Speaking alongside Erdogan, Abbas confirmed the talks in Cairo. “The talks between the general secretaries are aimed at overcoming all sorts of threats to the Palestinian people and land,” he said, speaking through a translator.
Citing Palestinian sources, multiple Arabic media outlets reported that Abbas and Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh would hold a rare meeting in Turkey on the sidelines of the Palestinian president’s visit before the talks in Cairo. There was no official confirmation of the meeting.
The last meeting between Abbas and Haniyeh was held in July 2022 when Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had hosted the two Palestinian leaders in Algiers — the first of its kind since 2016.
Before Abbas, Tebboune also paid a visit to Turkey on Saturday. Erdogan and the Algerian president discussed the issue during their meeting in Istanbul, according to Turkey’s public broadcaster TRT’s Arabic version. The diplomatic traffic indicates increasing regional efforts to revive the conciliation process between various Palestinian factions.
The talks in Cairo on Sunday will aim to discuss ways to end internal Palestinian divisions and recent escalation between Israeli forces and Palestinian groups. Palestinian Islamic Jihad announced earlier this week it wouldn’t attend the talks in Cairo due to the Abbas-led Palestinian Authority's recent crackdown on its members in the West Bank.
Speaking on Tuesday, Erdogan also said his country was closely watching the recent escalation between Israeli forces and Palestinian groups, adding they were concerned about the increasing loss of life and increasing Israeli settlements.
Carefully choosing his words, Erdogan avoided directly criticizing the Israeli government and its beleaguered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who faces mass protests over the controversial new judicial overhaul. Erdogan was set to host Netanyahu on Thursday after years of deep freeze between the two leaders. The visit, however, was canceled by the Israeli side on grounds of Netanyahu's health.
