Turkey talks with Palestinian leaders before closing Israel deal

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim spoke with Palestinian leaders on Thursday in a series of sessions seemingly designed to allay fears as Ankara moves to rebuild ties with Israel.

Yildirim's meetings included sessions with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki and a phone call with Khaled Meshaal, the head of the Islamic Hamas movement.

Turkey is keen to allay Palestinian fears about the renewed ties between Turkey and Israel as the two edge closer to formally ending six years of strained relations.

Turkey often in the past has been a champion of Palestinian rights, though it is also an historic ally of Israel.

The talks come as Turkey's parliament is set to convene within a week to finalise a reconciliation deal with Israel. Until parliament ratifies, the countries will not reappoint ambassadors. The ratification was expected last month, but was delayed because of a failed coup in Turkey.

The main Palestinian parties have condemned the putsch attempt.

"I think we will finalise the issue before parliament's recess. Israel has met our terms, paving the way to normalise ties," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

Parliament will recess next week until 20 September.

Turkey and Israel made a deal in June after the allies split over an Israeli raid on an aid flotilla heading towards the Gaza Strip, killing 10 Turkish citizens.

Israel continues to maintain a tight blockade on the enclave, but has increased the amount of Turkish aid allowed in since the agreement was reached.    (dpa)

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