Abbas turns to Turkey for Fatah-Hamas reconciliation help
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara to discuss Turkish assistance in the Palestinian reconciliation process.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas flew to the Turkish capital Ankara for an Aug. 28 meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.
The Turkish-Palestinian summit is particularly important, as Egypt, which was commissioned by the Arab League to be the exclusive sponsor of the Palestinian reconciliation, has been failing in its role.
A senior official from the Palestinian Authority (PA) told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the meeting followed a suggestion by Abbas himself.
The source noted that Abbas may be steering away from Egypt in light of Fatah’s increasing tension with Egypt following Egypt’s economic concessions to Hamas in Gaza. Abbas had taken a series of measures against Gaza, such as reducing the fuel supply to the power plant and freezing money transfers into Gaza, to push Hamas toward reconciliation.
