Türkiye arranges meeting between Palestinian president and Hamas leader

ANKARA, Türkiye – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday arranged a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The meeting took place behind closed doors in Ankara.

Experts believe that Türkiye’s hosting of the two Palestinian factions is crucial to advancing the reconciliation process between the Palestinians.

Erdogan told the leaders that dividing the Palestinians serves actors who want to undermine efforts to resolve the Palestinian conflict.

“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 after the meeting.

The meeting comes ahead of reconciliation talks between the main Palestinian factions, including Abbas-led Fatah and Hamas, scheduled for Sunday in Cairo.

Hamas said Abbas and Haniyeh agreed at the meeting to make “national efforts.”

Erdoğan reiterated Turkey’s support for the Palestinian cause and stressed the importance of a two-state solution.

He opposed measures aimed at changing the historical status quo of the holy sites, especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Stressing that many resolutions passed by the U.N. had gone unimplemented over the years, Abbas highlighted the importance of Türkiye’s support in upholding Palestinian rights and seeking full membership for Palestine in the U.N. by engaging in international forums.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also due to visit Türkiye this week, but his visit has been postponed after he conveyed that he has undergone a surgery last weekend. 

After several years of tensions, relations between Türkiye and Israel have improved over the past year, with several high-level visits, including that of Israel’s President Isaac Herzog.