Erdogan tells Haniyeh to continue shedding light on Palestinian cause
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells the head of Hamas' political bureau Ismail Haniyeh that 'he will not stand idle' regarding the injustice faced by Palestinians.
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In this photo released by the Turkish Presidency, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Hamas politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh, shake hands during their meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, April 20, 2024 (AP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh and his accompanying delegation at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul on Saturday.
The meeting, which lasted for more than two and a half hours, was also attended by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin.
Erdogan and Haniyeh discussed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and deliver aid to the besieged territory, Reuters reported.
Anadolu Agency reported that Erdogan assured Haniyeh that Turkey "will continue its diplomatic efforts to draw the attention of the international community to the injustice faced by the Palestinians."
Erdogan added that Turkey would continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestine in order to "alleviate the suffering of the people in Gaza as much as possible."
During the meeting, the Turkish president also pointed out that Ankara "has implemented a series of sanctions against Israel, including trade restrictions, since April 9th," the agency reported.
Erdogan stressed the utmost importance of Palestinian unity in action during this phase, assuring Haniyeh that "unity and integrity are required for the strongest response to the Israeli occupation and the path to victory."
"Israel will inevitably pay the price one day for the injustice it practices against the Palestinians," Erdogan underlined.
Trade restrictions
"Israel continues to flagrantly violate international law and ignores the international community's numerous calls for a cease-fire and uninterrupted humanitarian aid," the Turkish Trade Ministry said in a statement announcing the restriction of exports of certain products to "Israel".
According to the statement, the Turkish ministry underscored that the restriction will continue until "Israel" implements a cease-fire and allows “sufficient and uninterrupted flow" of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
In turn, the Israeli occupation's Foreign Minister accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of prioritizing support for "Hamas over Turkey's economic interests."
Additionally, "Israel's" FM stressed that the occupation would implement its own trade restrictions on Turkish products in response to Turkey's export limitations. Moreover, he pointed his finger at Turkey, accusing Ankara of unilaterally violating trade agreements with "Tel Aviv".
In November, Turkey called back its ambassador to "Tel Aviv" for consultations, the Foreign Ministry announced at the time.
The foreign ministry announced that due to the "humanitarian tragedy in Gaza" caused by "continuing attacks by Israel against civilians, and Israel’s refusal of calls for a cease-fire and continuous and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid," Turkish ambassador in "Tel Aviv" Sakir Ozkan Torunlar has been summoned to Ankara for "consultations".
