ANKARA On Tuesday, Turkey announced that the Palestinian authorities, including Fatah and Hamas, welcomed the restoration of relations between Turkey and Israel and wished for discussions to continue. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greeted his Palestinian colleague Mahmoud Abbas warmly in Ankara, and the two had talks before dining together privately.
Officially, no welcome statements were aired, particularly by Hamas, on the normalisation of relations between Turkey and Israel, nor by Abbas’ Fatah movement. Our Palestinian brothers have also expressed their belief that these efforts would help to resolve the Palestinian issue and improve the lives of the Palestinian people, Erdogan said during his meeting with Abbas.
Erdogan stated that Ankara’s improved relations with Israel will not diminish Turkey’s support for the Palestinian cause. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu again emphasised that Palestinian authorities, whether Fatah or Hamas, want us to restore our relationship with Israel. They claim that it is equally significant to them. He went on to say that the conversation will benefit the Palestinian cause.
Turkey and Israel announced this week that they will re-appoint ambassadors four years after they were removed due to the deaths of 60 Palestinians by Israeli soldiers during riots. Cavusoglu told Haber Global TV that a nominee for the role of ambassador to Israel would be given to Erdogan in the coming days. Abbas made no mention of Turkish-Israeli relations, but praised Erdogan for his assistance.
Abbas extended his deep gratitude to President Erdogan for his unwavering support for the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights to freedom and independence, as well as his concern for Palestinian national unity.
According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, he also stated, “Thanks are offered to the Turkish Republic and its institutions for their assistance in all spheres, and for standing with the State of Palestine in all international forums.”
Ankara indicates that Hamas favours the mending of Turkish-Israeli relations.
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