Mahmoud Abbas, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Discuss Gaza Ceasefire
Ankara, Turkey – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met behind closed doors on Wednesday to discuss critical steps towards achieving a ceasefire in Gaza. The discussions also focused on Israel’s actions in the enclave since the October 7 Hamas attacks, and what Erdogan described as the West’s “silence in the face of the soaring death toll” in Gaza.
The meeting at the presidential palace comes at a critical juncture during the ongoing 10-month Israel-Hamas conflict, with international efforts for a ceasefire faltering and tensions rising after the targeted killings of senior Hamas officials in Iran and Lebanon.
According to Erdogan’s office, the leaders discussed “the massacres committed by Israel in Palestinian territories” and explored “steps needed for a permanent ceasefire and peace.” Erdogan, who has been a vocal critic of Israel throughout the conflict, once again labeled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “the butcher of Gaza” and condemned the Western world’s failure to exert pressure on Israel to halt the war.
While Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, and Israel, Erdogan has referred to it as “a liberation movement” and called for increased efforts, especially from the Islamic world, to secure an immediate ceasefire and ensure the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
The meeting with Erdogan followed Abbas’s visit to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Abbas is expected to address the Turkish parliament in a special session dedicated to the Palestinian issue on Thursday.
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