BICOM

Speaking during a visit to the White House, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday confirmed that he intends to visit the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip next month.

The United States had advised Erdogan to put his plans to visit Gaza on hold, but after a meeting with US President Obama, the Turkish premier said, “According to my plan, most probably I would be visiting Gaza in June.” He added, “But it will not be a visit only to Gaza. I will also go to the West Bank” where he will presumably meet Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders. Erdogan further commented, “I place a lot of significance on this visit in terms of peace in the Middle East. I’m hoping that that visit will contribute to unity in Palestine.”

Erdogan’s visit to Gaza is likely to test Turkey’s relations with Israel, which have only recently begun to improve after the United States brokered an arrangement to mend a rift which had existed between the two countries since 2010. In March Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paved the way for reconciliation by apologising to Erdogan after the deaths of nine Turkish citizens who were killed whilst trying to prevent Israeli commandos taking over a Gaza-bound protest ship, the Mavi Marmara in 2010. Two high-level meetings between Israel and Turkish officials have since then taken place, with a compensation deal being finalised, which is intended to pave the way for a full restoration of ties between the two countries.

However, Erdogan’s visit to the Gaza Strip, which is administered by Hamas is likely to anger Israel. It is also liable to antagonise the PA which also does not regard Hamas as the legitimate authority in Gaza, following a bloody Hamas coup which ousted the PA from the area in 2007.