Turkey's Erdogan brings rival Palestinian leaders together in rare meeting
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh met face-to-face in Ankara ahead of reconciliation talks in Cairo.
ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted a rare meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday, the Turkish presidency has announced.
According to the Turkish presidency, Erdogan told the leaders that the division among the Palestinians serves actors who want to undermine the efforts to settle the Palestinian conflict.
The rare meeting between the rival Palestinian leaders comes ahead of reconciliation talks between major Palestinian groups including Abbas-led Fatah and Hamas set to be held Sunday in Cairo, Egypt. Abbas and Haniyeh last met in July 2022, when Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune hosted the two leaders in Algiers — the first such meeting since 2016. Tebboune also visited Turkey last Saturday, indicating increasing regional efforts to convince rival Palestinian groups to advance their dialogue.
The meeting in Ankara took place as part of Abbas’ two-day state visit to Turkey.
