Erdogan says Israel wants Palestine off world agenda

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government on Wednesday of trying to remove Palestine from the world's agenda.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Ankara with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Erdogan said Netanyahu's government aimed to “remove Palestine from the common agenda of humanity by profiting from chaos and new conflicts in the region.” He said Israel would not succeed and vowed that Turkey would fight for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Erdogan, a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, has repeatedly criticised Netanyahu's government. He has accused the Israeli prime minister of committing “genocide” in Gaza and of pursuing expansionist policies in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere.

Abbas arrived in Ankara on Tuesday with his diplomatic adviser Majdi Khalidi, intelligence chief Majed Faraj and senior Palestinian official Ziad Abu Amr. He met Erdogan on Wednesday, and described the talks as important and fruitful.

Last month, Abbas said Palestinian legislative elections would take place on November 28, followed by a presidential vote early next year. If the November election goes ahead, it would be the first such ballot in two decades.

Erdogan said he hoped the planned legislative and presidential elections would help advance reconciliation, a reference to the long-running rivalry between Abbas's Fatah movement and Hamas, which rules Gaza.

Abbas also welcomed an August 7 defence pact between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, calling it of utmost importance and expressing hope it would help improve regional security and stability.