Abbas, Erdogan discuss Gaza rebuilding, reconciliation with Hamas
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met in Istanbul on Saturday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian arena.
Abbas arrived in Istanbul on Friday night on a three-day visit at the invitation of Erdogan, Palestinian officials said.
The meeting came as he continues to face widespread criticism over the death of PA critic Nizar Banat, who was reportedly beaten to death by Palestinian security officers, as well as regarding a massive crackdown on political activists, social media users and journalists in the West Bank.
Abbas will ask Erdogan to use his influence with Hamas to resolve the dispute between the PA and the Islamist movement over the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, the officials said.
The PA president insists that all funds to the Gaza Strip be transferred through the PA government in Ramallah, and not directly to Hamas. The terrorist group in control of Gaza, for its part, said that it is prepared to allow the PA to participate in the reconstruction effort, but only together with representatives of various Palestinian factions.
According to Palestinian sources, Abbas will also ask Erdogan to pressure Hamas to stop inciting against the PA leadership following the death of Banat.
The PA’s official news agency Wafa said that Abbas briefed the Turkish president on “ongoing Israeli assaults in occupied Jerusalem, including the expulsion of residents,” referring to the controversy surrounding the eviction of Arab families from their homes in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The houses were owned by Jews before 1948.
Abbas is accompanied on his visit by PA Foreign Minister Riyad Malki, head of the General Authority of Civil Affairs Hussein al-Sheikh, General Intelligence Service chief Majed Faraj and Mahmoud Habbash, religious affairs adviser to the PA president.
On the eve of the visit, Banat’s brother, Ghassan, appealed to Erdogan to “stand with the demonstrators who took to the streets to protest the death of my brother.” He also called on Erdogan to demand that Abbas step down.
“The Abbas authority must admit that what happened was a political crime,” the brother told the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa radio station.
“Mahmoud Abbas and his security establishment bear responsibility for the repercussions of this crime,” he said. “The Palestinian political system must be reconstructed on the basis of free and transparent elections that will be held under the supervision of the international community.”