Palestinians pivot to Turkey, Qatar for support in wake of normalization deals
The various Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah, are shoring up ties with Turkey and other countries in the region that stand against normalization with Israel.
The normalization agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed on Sept. 15 in Washington have already made an impact on the Palestinians’ regional and Arab relations, reflected in the Palestinians’ repositioning with Beirut, Istanbul, Doha and Tehran and their distancing from Cairo and Riyadh.
On Sept. 21, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas phoned his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and thanked him for his support of the Palestinians. The two have shared several calls in the past few weeks, discussing political developments and US pressure on the region to normalize ties with Israel and ways to face such pressure.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh met with Erdogan Aug. 22 in Istanbul and discussed the latest developments. Jibril Rajoub, secretary of Fatah’s Central Committee, arrived in Turkey on Sept. 21 to meet with Haniyeh and his deputy Saleh al-Arouri and discuss ways to end the internal Palestinian division.
Erdogan himself accused Israel of violating international law during his speech at the 75th United Nations General Assembly meeting on Sept. 22. He said, “The occupation of Palestine is a bleeding wound,” adding, “Israel is constantly increasing its audacity in the holy sites in Jerusalem.”
