Palestinian President Abbas meets Erdogan ahead of speech to Turkey's parliament

ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is paying a two-day visit to Turkey during which he will address the Turkish parliament.

During the meeting, Erdogan reiterated his support for the Palestinian cause, the Turkish readout of the meeting said. He also pledged to continue his country's efforts “to increase the pressure on Israel from the international community,” according to the readout. Abbas, in turn, stressed the importance of supporting Palestine's bid for full and equal membership in the United Nations and of convening an international peace conference, according to a readout released by the official Palestinian WAFA news agency. 

The Palestinian leader, accompanied by the Palestinian Authority's intelligence chief Mahmoud al-Habbash and high-level Palestine Liberation Organization officials, is set to address the Turkish parliament, which will convene in an extraordinary session on Thursday, pausing a summer break. He is expected to recount Israel's attacks on Palestinian territories, particularly in Gaza, Turkey’s state broadcaster, TRT, reported Wednesday.

Abbas’ visit to Turkey comes on the heels of his visit to Moscow on Tuesday, which was much anticipated, and at a critical time, as it remains unclear how relations between the PA and its rival, Hamas, which controls Gaza, will evolve under Yahya Sinwar's leadership. Sinwar, who replaced slain Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh last week, is believed to be the mastermind of the militant group’s unprecedented Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.