Abbas Visits Turkey’s Erdogan in Effort to Improve Relations

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas traveled to Turkey on Sunday for a three-day visit that was described by officials as aiming at improving relations between Ankara and the Palestinian Authority. But the unrevealed sub context stems from the timing of the Abbas visit coming while the Emir of Qatar is also in town. News agencies have reported that Abbas would be traveling to Qatar following his time in Turkey. It’s believed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Emir Sheikh Tamim Ibn Hamad Al-Thani will be focusing on the ongoing Palestinian need to effect a reconciliation between the West Bank-governing Fatah and Gaza-ruling Hamas factions. The bifurcation between the two groups and territorial division are considered to be the most pressing matter to solve in order to proceed to statehood. Several reconciliation agreements have been signed but there have been no signs of implementation of the pacts. Efforts are reportedly directed at finding a way to hold elections for a unity government.