Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu invited to visit Turkiye in the same week | Photo: Arab News

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will travel to Turkiye today to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

The two will discuss Turkish-Palestinian relations, the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and other regional/international issues, as well as steps to enhance cooperation between the two states. 

Three days later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also travel to Ankara to hold talks with Erdogan. Relations between Turkiye and Israel have improved over the past year, with several high-level visits after over a decade of tensions. Netanyahu’s visit will be the first by an Israeli President since  2008.

The upcoming visits, come as the West Bank witnesses the worst outbreak of violence in years. In June the first Israeli drone assault in the area since 2006 took place, as well as military raids on the city of Jenin, killing 12 Palestinians and causing widespread damage to homes and infrastructure. In April of this year, Erdogan declared Israel had crossed a red line after the Israeli police clashed with Palestinians inside the Al Aqsa mosque. Although it is unlikely these meetings alone will resolve the escalating violence, they will support Erdogan’s efforts to position himself as a regional power broker and increase the influence of his country on the world stage.